Two women whose movements were tracked and monitored by their ex-spouse using the “AirTag” device launched a class action against Apple on Monday.
• Read also: His suitcase lost during a trip to Europe; he traces his movements thanks to an AirTag
One of the women says her ex-boyfriend placed an AirTag in his car wheel, while the other claims her ex-husband placed it in her boy’s backpack.
According to them, the AirTag allows people with bad intentions to follow their victim without them knowing.
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The product, which retails for approximately $39 in Canada, was first designed to find lost objects, keys, a purse or any other valuable object. It was released in April 2021.
As big as a quarter, its small size makes it easy to hide.
However, Apple claims on its site that the product is designed to prevent it from being located without your knowledge.
“If an AirTag belonging to someone else lands in your stuff, your iPhone detects it and sends you an alert. If you still haven’t found it after a while, the AirTag will ring to signal its presence.
capture, Apple
However, the two women behind the lawsuit, Lauren Hughes of Texas, and an unidentified woman, believe that Apple was negligent in creating and promoting these inexpensive tracking devices.
Their lawsuit, filed in a Northern California court, details how Apple marketed AirTags against expert advice. These would have alerted the company to potential security issues, and downplayed the risks.
Their stories echo a slew of other testimonials from women around the world who have found an AirTag that didn’t belong to them in their belongings.
Model Brooks Nader notably revealed on her Instagram account that she had been followed and after discovering an “AirTag” in her coat pocket.
Brooks Nader | Instagram
According to a Vice News investigation, approximately 150 police reports were made over an eight-month period regarding these devices discovered by victims.
According to plaintiffs’ attorneys, the number of espionage cases is much higher because these Apple products are ubiquitous in the United States, making it “virtually impossible to hide from an AirTag in most, if not all, populated areas”.
In addition, an AirTag can take up to three days to send an alert to an Apple phone, a particularly long delay.
People who own an Android phone just wouldn’t get one.
Worse still, lawyers argue that ill-intentioned people have figured out how to turn off the speakerphone on AirTags.
Some silent AirTags are sold on sites like Ebay and Etsy.
Other women have also testified on social networks to have been followed not thanks to an AirTag, but thanks to Air Pods.