Apple is sued by women who say AirTag lets stalkers track victims


FILE PHOTO: The Apple Inc. logo is seen hanging at the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York, U.S., October 16, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo/File Photo

(Reuters) -Apple Inc has been sued by two women who said its AirTag devices have made it easier for their former partners and other stalkers to track down victims.

In a proposed class action filed on Monday in San Francisco federal court, the women said Apple has been unable to protect people from unwanted trafficking through AirTag since launching what it called the "stalker proof" device in April 2021.

Starting at $29, AirTags are 1-1/4 inches (3.2 cm) in diameter, and intended to be slipped into or attached to keys, wallets, backpacks and other items so people can find them when they are lost.

But privacy experts and law enforcement have said some people use Airtags for criminal or malicious purposes.

The plaintiffs called AirTag "the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers," and said it has been linked to murders this year of women from Akron, Ohio and Indianapolis.

Monday's lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for U.S. owners of iOS or Android-based devices who were tracked by AirTag or are "at risk" of being stalked because of Apple's alleged negligence.

Apple did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment.

The Cupertino, California-based company has acknowledged that "bad actors" have tried misusing Airtags.

In February, Apple announced planned upgrades to make it easier to find the devices, and warn users faster that unknown AirTags might be "traveling with them."

One plaintiff in Monday's lawsuit, Lauren Hughes, said her former boyfriend learned where she had moved to avoid him after placing an AirTag in her car's wheel well.

She said he later posted a photo online of a taco truck from her new neighborhood, and included a winking emoji with the hashtag "#airt2.0."

The other plaintiff, Jane Doe, said her estranged husband tracked her after putting an AirTag in their child's backpack.

The case is Hughes et al v. Apple Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 22-07668.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Tech News

Russian court fines Apple for not deleting two podcasts, RIA reports
GlobalFoundries forecasts upbeat Q4 results on strong demand from smartphone makers
Emerson sharpens automation focus with offer for rest of AspenTech in $15 billion deal
Palantir shares surge to record as AI boom powers forecast raise
Tax fraud investigators search Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam, says source
Singapore's Keppel to buy Japanese AI-ready data centre
Tesla increases wages for staff at German gigafactory by 4%
Apple explores push into smart glasses with ‘Atlas’ user study
Japan's Kioxia sees flash memory demand almost tripling by 2028
Hacker gets into woman’s email, changes every password, tries to make purchases

Others Also Read