A Tennessee family was shocked to find their 17-year-old daughter’s movements were being tracked around Walt Disney World in Florida by Apple AirTag for about four hours.
Jennifer Gaston and her daughter Madison went crazy when the teenager received a notification on her iPhone that they were being followed to their car on the Magic Kingdom Monorail in Florida earlier this week.
The notification showed Madison was tracked over a four-hour period from 7:09 p.m. to 11:33 p.m. The tracker was everywhere she went in the sprawling theme park and out to the parking lot.
“We were terrified, confused, hurt and scared,” Jennifer said. Renard 35 Orlando. ‘elle [Madison] I literally watched her follow us from the tram to our car.
“It showed the first destination that was discovered with it, then basically draws a line and makes connections between the points where it was,” she added.
The teenager and her mother searched their car but could not find the device. They locked the car door and drove off before calling the police, with Madison still monitoring the location of the device on her iPhone.
“While updating it,” Jennifer said, “it showed the AirTag was still in our parking lot, so somehow when we frantically got dressed and got everything out of our bags, it fell.
The $30 wireless devices were designed to help track things people often lose, like keys or wallets, but have been revealed to be used by stalkers to track people.
The device is designed to block “unwarranted tracking” by alerting a nearby iPhone when an AirTag is separated from its user. For example, if a person places an AirTag on a vehicle but does not enter the vehicle, the motorist of the vehicle must be alerted to the presence of the AirTag near them or to move with them.
Jennifer Gaston said she discovered an AirTag following her and her 17-year-old daughter Madison (right) as they walked back to their car on the Walt Disney World line in Orlando, Florida. Husband received notification on Madison’s phone
AirTag, which is not part of the family, reported he was first spotted with the pair at 7:09 p.m. before receiving notice four hours later at around 11:33 p.m. Pictured: Gaston’s footsteps in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
The family made this chilling discovery during a day trip to America’s busiest amusement park
I’ve seen videos of other people warning people about them and what they basically are. And so I knew what they were doing and I didn’t ignore the notice,” Madison added.
AirTag should start emitting a sound to notify nearby people of its location. However, users have reported that the alert and sound can take hours or even days to send and can even be turned off.
The devices are also very small and can be easily hidden.
The AirTag’s location is sent to iCloud – where it can be seen on a map, according to Apple’s website. Using the “Find My” app, the system provides its owner with step-by-step instructions to locate the tag and lost product.
Madison and her mother agreed that people should report any unusual digital activity they notice on their phone and learn more about new tracking technology over time.
Do your research and find out what these things are. “You have the right settings on your phone even if you have an Air Tag that ends up with you to make sure your phone will detect it,” Garson said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said that because the family was not finished finding the AirTag, the incident was not considered a felony. However, investigators have submitted a report on the incident and have been notified of the event.
Apple has released an Android compatible app called Tracker Detection to let Android users be alerted that AirTag has moved with them.
Due to growing concerns about the misuse of the devices, some privacy groups have called for the devices to be removed from store shelves.
“Some people who have bad intentions towards others use it to potentially stalk people, track people, mark vehicles, luxury vehicles, so they want to come back and steal,” said David Benson, an adviser. safe in the area. “Even if they are not at epidemic rates, they are happening enough where it is of concern. »
Benson added that if someone is tracked after finding an AirTag, the best outcome is to go to a public place and report to local authorities rather than going home or to a hotel.
People are calling on Apple to stop using their AirTag trackers as women increasingly report discovering the devices track them to their homes
In January, a young mom from Texas said she found an AirTag stuck inside her gym bag while traveling from Texas to Maine.
I think they would have hurt me for sure. She told Inside Edition at the time, “I don’t think you do this for no reason. “It took them almost 14 hours to tell me what was going on,” she said.
Hundreds of other women have posted videos on TikTok sharing their stories of how mysterious AirTags associated with their items have spotted and tracked their location since Apple released the tracker in April.
Each AirTag has a serial number physically written on it and is connected via Bluetooth. If law enforcement issues a court order, Apple may reveal the identity of the iPhone on which the AirTag is registered.
Law enforcement officers are advising women to report to the police department immediately after receiving an unsecured AirTag notice or finding the device. If possible, they advise avoiding going home, but most women seem to recognize stalkers after coming home.
Most women found AirTags hidden in or on their cars, but sometimes they were hidden in their belongings like bags and duffels. Mini trackers cost $30 and can be easily hidden in very inconspicuous places