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Are Apple AirTags Being Used to Track People, Steal Cars?


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An Apple AirTag.

In recent months, people have posted on TikTok, Reddit and Twitter about finding AirTags on their cars and in their belongings.

Credit: Carlos Jaramillo/The New York Times

Concerns are mounting as Apple's location-tracking AirTag devices are being found on people's cars and in their belongings, giving rise to fears of stalking.

Seven women interviewed by The New York Times think they were tracked with AirTags, including a 17-year-old whose mother put one on her car.

Canadian police also reportedly have investigated cases of thieves placing AirTags on "high-end vehicles so they can later locate and steal them."

Bluetooth-outfitted AirTags emit a signal that can be detected by devices using Apple's mobile operating system.

While the devices incorporate abuse-preventing features include tracking alerts and automatic beeping, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Eva Galperin warns they constitute a "uniquely harmful" threat, given the ubiquity of Apple products.

From The New York Times
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Abstracts Copyright © 2022 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA


 

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