Anti-stalking abilities of Apple AirTag don’t work in many cases

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Anti-stalking techniques are included in Apple AirTags, but a recent police report study shows that they don’t always perform as planned.

image credits: Justin Duino

According to a brand-new study, More than 150 police records from a recent eight-month period were analysed by Motherboard on Wednesday. There were just a few complaints of robbery or theft in the total number of incidents. An AirTag was used to harass or pursue women, according to the rest of the report.

As a result of receiving anti-tracking warnings on their iPhones, the women who were being followed in 50 of those cases phoned the police. Others reported hearing or finding AirTags in their cars, which had been secretly installed.

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Former partners and ex-lovers were involved in the majority of the instances Numerous ex-lovers of the ladies they stalked were discovered when they began appearing in the same areas as those women they were tracking.

There is nothing new about electronic tracking, and AirTag by no means marks the beginning of this trend. Stalking based on location is “as ancient as GPS technology itself,” says Mary Beth Becker-Lauth, a domestic abuse community educator.

Additionally, Apple’s AirTags have anti-stalking capabilities that include alerts and alarms. Although Tile trackers have been available for a long time, they only lately received comparable safety features.

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There has been an increase in the number of complaints of AirTag stalking, however this does not suggest that the devices are causing an increase in incidences of stalking. This suggests that Apple’s security measures are really effective, according to the information available.

It was clear from the start that this would be a significant issue, according to Galperin. “However, I believe that some of the difficulty stems from the fact that stalking is a huge issue. A person can present to police strong proof, which they may not otherwise have, by having the AirTag alert go off.”

However, the Motherboard investigation implies that there are numerous occasions in which these notifications do not operate. Snooping may also be made simpler by using Apple AirTags, which use Bluetooth-enabled Apple devices near the tracker to determine its location.

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A number of new features and improvements have subsequently been added to the AirTags by Apple in an effort to reduce their misuse.

Becker-Lauth noted that police also have a duty to investigate stalking incidents. Problem-solving responsibilities don’t fall solely on Apple. The only way to solve this problem, according to Becker-Lauth, is through cooperation among tracker makers, public safety agencies, and other stakeholders.

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