How many people, after having lost their keys, their wallet or a bag for the umpteenth time, have imagined a device allowing them to find these things quickly? With its AirTag, Apple thought of the heads in the air. Problem, since its launch in April 2021, its use has been diverted by stalkers to follow, in the vast majority of cases, women without their knowledge. With an update, revealed on February 10, the apple brand hopes to put an end to these practices and the emerging controversy.
The ordeal of the AirTag transformed into a harassment tool
The AirTag is a small device engraved with the famous apple, which can be attached to an object likely to be lost or stolen. Apple’s Find My app, used to find a missing iPhone, can find items that have the AirTag attached.
Which EU governments have used Pegasus spyware?
A very practical little gadget, but whose use is easy to divert. Concealed in the personal effects of a third party, the AirTag act as a GPS beacon worthy of a spy film. Far from the cinema, the recorded cases of this type of drift have, in most situations, targeted women.
In January, in the United States, the model Brooks Nader, found an unknown AirTag in one of the pockets of her jacket while returning from a bar, reports Miss. Informed of her presence by a notification on her iPhone, the young woman had meanwhile returned home, still being tracked. Two tiktokers, Kayla Malec and Erika Tores found devices in their car. The BBC learned of six similar cases, again in the United States.
Cybersecurity director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Eva Galperin, summed up the situation to the British public media, “ If you’re creating a useful item for tracking stolen items, you’ve also created a perfect tool for stalking “.
Apple is far from the only company affected
Obviously Apple condemns “ in the strongest possible terms any misuse of our products “. As soon as it was released, Cupertino was aware of the AirTag problem: it is not the first company to release this type of device, even if the success of its products gives another dimension to the emerging controversies.
Since the launch it is specified that ” AirTags are designed to track objects, not people “. The device emits an audible signal between 8h and 24h after detecting a movement with an unregistered smartphone. A notification is also sent if the phone detects an unknown AirTag. Especially for the iPhone. On Android you have to download an application, Tracker Detect, which has the defect of not automatically detecting AirTags.
Apple assures that ” incidents of AirTag misuse are rare “, without further details. Cupertino explains collaborating with the police to identify the Stalkers, thanks to the serial number of the device. The company acknowledges, however, that every case is one too many “.
The measures taken to warn the victims of the hijacked AirTag
- Hence the new update announced on February 10. On the menu :
- A message about the legal consequences of misuse to deter potential harassers during setup.
- People with an iPhone 11 or better will be able to use the augmented reality of the Precision Finding service to find the unknown AirTag. The BBC reports the situation of a young woman, warned by a notification, but who could not find the device, probably hidden in her car.
- When the AirTag’s speaker activates, an alert is immediately sent. The auditory alert being limited to 60 decibels, the noise is easily drowned out, when it is not simply removed thanks to tweaks from its owner. Apple also promised to modulate the sound to make it louder.
- Notification delay will be reduced, when unknown AirTags are spotted tracking someone’s device. The case of Brooks Nader showed it, too long a delay to expose the address of the model. The length of the delay was not specified by Apple.
Necessary changes, although a little imprecise and above all incomplete. AirTags can be used maliciously against people with smartphones running Android. An update to improve Tracker Detect is in order. The date of the deployment of these modifications was not given.