As Apple AirTags' popularity grows, the tracking devices have also posed fear in public. Although no formal studies have been done, a recent law enforcement record survey shows that the use of AirTags for stalking has become common.
Survey Looked at 150 Documents in the Past Eight Months to See How Many Were Related to Stalking
As reported by Vice, Motherboard has recently asked for incident reports coming from a number of police departments that have mentioned the Apple AirTags in the past. Upon inquiry, they found 150 documents over the course of the last eight months.
Among the 150 documents obtained, a third of them were reportedly related to stalking. The majority of cases were with women, with a single man reporting his ex was stalking him through using the Apple AirTags.
Half of the Incidents were AirTags Planted in the Victim's Car
According to the story by TechSpot, in half of the reported incidents, the device was mostly planted in the victim's car. Other reports were related to either theft or robbery through the Apple tracking device.
The publication notes that despite the stats showing a significant amount of stalking incidents that used the Apple AirTags, the data was something that has not been thoroughly looked at in the past.
No Additional Data Available to Compare the Stats
As of press time, there is also no other data available for the stats to be compared to. TechSpot states that nobody has "looked even further back" to find out whether the devices were really used in these types of incidents even before AirTags was introduced.
Upon the initial announcement of the Apple AirTags, the company noted that the device should have anti-stalking security features. TechSpot argues that very few headlines regarding this type of incident are being made.
Other Devices like Tile Were Used in Stalking
The publication noted that other trackers like Tile had been used for stalking people, but it did not get much attention. Tile also has poor security measures compared to AirTags.
The publication also noted that the study by Motherboard reportedly raises more questions instead of providing more answers. Although there were 150 documents collected from different police stations, it seemed insufficient.
Read Also : Android Anti-AirTag Stalking Protection? Google Appears to be Currently Working On This Solution
Google Works on Anti-Stalking Feature for Android Users
Without additional metrics to assess whether or not the Apple AirTags were used in illegal or malicious activities, collecting this type of data would rely solely on the reports made. A new notification feature was implemented for iPhone users whenever an AirTag is within proximity and traveling with them.
While no official notification is available for Android users, Google is now working on a feature to help them know when an AirTag is used to track them. On version 22.12.13 of Google Play Reference, Hints were spotted expected to bring "Unfamiliar Device Alerts" and "Unfamiliar Tag Detection Notification."
Related Article: Apple AirTags Used by German Researcher Uncover Secret Intelligence Agency
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
