Apple sued by two women over ‘dangerous’ AirTag stalking

Apple introduced its tiny tracking device called AirTag in April 2021. These devices come in a shape and size of a coin. It is designed in such a way that users can attach or slip them into personal possessions like keys or backpacks which helps them in locating the objects when they get misplaced. However, privacy advocates have voiced their concerns and police reports have verified that these devices can also be misused to track people without their consent. This issue is now threatening Apple with a new lawsuit. According to a report by Bloomberg, two women have filed a new lawsuit against Apple alleging that AirTag makes it easier for stalkers to track and terrorise victims.
Reason for the new lawsuit against Apple
As per the proposed class-action complaint filed in the federal court of San Francisco, one of the plaintiffs has reported that her ex-boyfriend placed an AirTag in the wheel well of her car. The complainant also claimed that her former boyfriend was also able to find out where she had moved to avoid his harassment.
Another woman who was also involved in the lawsuit noted that her “estranged” husband tracked her movements by planting an AirTag in her child’s backpack. The lawsuit also reportedly includes other instances where AirTags tracking has led to a murder.

In one such case, an ex-boyfriend used Apple’s tracking device to locate and shoot a woman in Akron, Ohio. Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, Indiana, another woman hid an AirTag in her ex-boyfriend’s vehicle and followed him to a bar before running him over.
These women have not only accused the company of “negligently releasing an unsafe device” but have also asked the court to award “unspecified monetary damages.” They also seek to represent others who have been or are at risk of stalking via “this dangerous product.”
How Apple has tried to make AirTags safer
Apple has not yet commented on the latest AirTag lawsuit. However, the Cupertino-based tech giant has made several efforts to make the tracking device “stalker proof” since its introduction last year. Initially, Apple added chimed notifications to inform Apple users (using devices like iPhones and MacBooks) if there was an AirTag within the Bluetooth range (about 30 feet or 9 meters) of the device for an extended period.

However, this didn’t stop some users from misusing the device. So, after continued complaints from privacy advocates, the company further upgraded the safety features in AirTags earlier this year. Apple curtailed the time for notifications and also added a “Moving With You,” feature that helped users to discover AirTags that weren’t registered to them. Apart from this, the company also released an Android app for users to scan for AirTags around them.