Apple released AirTags on April 30, 2021 to help people track and locate important items, but some criminals have used the devices to stalk and harass people. In Texas, a woman was recently notified of an AirTag that was found taped under her car.
a woman received an alert that an AirTag was traveling with her while she was driving on Sunday in Irving, Texas, according to KXAS. She immediately drove to the nearest police department and officers were able to locate the device taped under her car within 10 minutes.
“It’s an uneasy feeling,” Officer Robert Reeves told the local news outlet. “We may be looking at an offense of either harassment or stalking which is a high misdemeanor or felony offense.”
A spokesperson for Apple pointed Fox News Digital to a recent update from the company that noted it frequently works with law enforcement on tracking down errant AirTags.
“Every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID,” Apple recently explained. “Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement.
MacDailyNews Take: Clearly, Apple’s AirTag, AirPods, and other Find My network accessories which include features to guard against unwanted tracking worked well in this case.
You won’t get that from any other item tracker.
With any other tracker, you would be tracked for as long as the tracker remains functional without notification.
Apple AirTags are the most anti-stalking, pro-privacy, and safest trackers on the market.
Obviously, AirTags should not be used to track people without their knowledge, and should not be used to track property that does not belong to you. Using these products to track people without their consent is a crime in many countries and regions around the world. If an AirTag, set of AirPods, or Find My network accessory is discovered to be unlawfully tracking a person, law enforcement can request any available information from Apple to support their investigation.
If any AirTag, AirPods, or other Find My network accessory separated from its owner is seen moving with you over time, you’ll be notified in one of two ways. These features were created specifically to discourage people from trying to track you without your knowledge.
- If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Find My will send a notification to your Apple device. This feature is available on iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later. To receive alerts, make sure that you:
• Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, and turn Location Services on.
• Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. Turn Find My iPhone on.
• Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. Turn Significant Locations on to be notified when you arrive at a significant location, such as your home.
• Go to Settings > Bluetooth, and turn Bluetooth on.
• Go to the Find My app, tap the Me tab, and turn Tracking Notifications on.
• Turn off airplane mode. If your device is in airplane mode, you won’t receive tracking notifications. -
An AirTag, AirPods Pro (2nd generation) charging case, or Find My network accessory that isn’t with its owner for a period of time will emit a sound when it’s moved.
If you’re stuck with a Android device, you can download Apple’s Tracker Detect app from the Google Play Store. Tracker Detect looks for item trackers within Bluetooth range that are separated from their owner and that are compatible with Apple’s Find My network. These include AirTag and compatible item trackers that use the Find My network. If you think someone is using an AirTag or another item tracker to track your location, you can use the Tracker Detect app’s scan feature to try to find it. If the app detects an AirTag or compatible item tracker near you for at least 10 minutes, you can play a sound to help find it.
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I have Significant Locations turned on and have for months. The summary in it says “0 records.” Is Apple is telling me just how insignificant it thinks I am? 🙂
So if a thief steals the toolbox out of my truck (like they tried in Wichita, KS last year by busting out my rear window…) and I track him he can report ME to the police?
😉
But seriously, this can be bypassed??