Police records show that one-third of AirTag abuses are 'stalkers to women' and half of them are ex-boyfriends, husbands, and bosses.



Of the 150 police records that mentioned Apple's dropped tracker '

AirTag ,' 50 were related to female stalking, according to a survey by the IT news site Motherboard.

Police Records Show Women Are Being Stalked With Apple AirTags Across the Country
https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3vj3y/apple-airtags-police-reports-stalking-harassment

AirTag is Apple's Lost and Found Tracker that uses Bluetooth communication to find the location of lost items and make sounds to make them easier to find. However, there are reports that 'AirTag that I do not remember was attached to the front wheel of the car' and 'Silent AirTag' that disabled the security function that automatically makes sound by removing the speaker is on the market. There is also a point that it may be abused for stalking. '

There is also a concern that 'Silent AirTag' crafted to prevent sound will be used for stalking --GIGAZINE



Therefore, Motherboard has compiled the cases of AirTag abuse based on the investigation records obtained from eight police stations in the United States. As a result, of the 150 records mentioning AirTag, 50, which is one-third, reported that 'My location is being tracked by an AirTag I don't know.' In addition, 25 of them were cases in which familiar men such as partners, husbands, and bosses were strongly suspected.

The women reported to police that their partner, who they are currently dating or had a close relationship with in the past, was using AirTag to stalk or harass themselves.

For example, in one case, a woman reported to police that her ex-partner had cut a car's tires or installed an AirTag inside the car. The criminal is said to be a former partner because the former partner who has a criminal record of assault always appears at the same place at the same time, so it turns out that he is acting based on the information of AirTag attached to the car It's because of the body.



In another case, every time a woman leaves the house, she makes a noise from inside the car, so I searched for the source of the sound and found AirTag. When the woman pointed this to her ex-partner, she admitted that she 'attached an AirTag to see if she was having an affair.'

Many women say they were in danger. For example, a woman was harassed by a man on a court order to protect her and called the police. Then, when a woman picked up the phone in front of a police officer who rushed in, the moment when the man threatened to cause physical harm was captured.

Former partners weren't the only perpetrators of stalking and other abuses of AirTag. For example, some women were stalked by a dating man or a married spouse and were violent when asked about AirTag.

In addition, among the 150 cases, there was one report from a man that a former partner woman is tracking herself with AirTag.

Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the privacy advocacy group The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), told Motherboard that 'although there have been stalking and stalking tools for some time, Apple has stalked with the launch of AirTag. We've made tracking targets cheaper and easier than ever before. '

in Science, Posted by log1l_ks