Women's Lawsuit Alleges Apple's AirTag Is 'Weapon Of Choice Of Stalkers'

The plaintiffs said the "dangerous product" was used by both their exes to stalk them.
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Two women say in a lawsuit against tech giant Apple that the company’s AirTag tracking device “has become the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers” because of its low price.

An AirTag, which retails for $29, can be attached to a person’s belongings for tracking through the “Find My” application in Apple devices, using Bluetooth technology. Many place them in checked luggage when traveling to know the whereabouts of their suitcase.

The plaintiffs, Texas resident Lauren Hughes and a New York woman who identified herself only as Jane Doe, said in their lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco that the device is a “dangerous product” and was used by both their exes to stalk them. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

Hughes said an ex-boyfriend of three months hid an AirTag in her car to track her down. Doe said her ex-husband placed the device inside her child’s bag. She said she later found another AirTag in her home after disabling the one in her child’s backpack.

The lawsuit challenged Apple’s claim that AirTags are “Stalker-Proof,” and said the product “revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking.”

Apple didn’t comment on the lawsuit, according to CNN.

Apple said earlier this year that it was working with law enforcement to address concerns with the product, and that “incidents of AirTag misuse are rare.” An update the company announced in February notified users setting up the device that misusing AirTags to monitor people without consent can be a crime.

“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” Apple said on Feb. 10.

Additionally, the company said users of Apple devices will receive a notification when an unknown AirTag device is in their vicinity after it has been separated from its owner for a period of time. This alert system is only available to those using the 14.5 version of iOS software, or a later version.

For non-Apple users, the company said an AirTag device separated from its holder for some time will generate an alert sound when moved.

The lawsuit says the updates aren’t enough.

“While Apple has built safeguards into the AirTag product, they are woefully inadequate, and do little, if anything, to promptly warn individuals if they are being tracked,” the lawsuit states.

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