Apple Air Tags Being Used To Track People

It’s been all over the news these past few days when a Sports Illustrated model, Brooks Nader, shared her terrifying story on Instagram Stories about how she was stalked using an Apple Air Tag.

Brooks says she received a notification letting her know that her location was being tracked after she left a bar in New York City. She was alerted to this by her iPhone.

This is the latest misuse of technology and should be a concern for most everyone. Brooks was able to identify (via her iPhone) that an AirTag was somewhere on her person. This isn’t an isolated incident either as others have posted that they too were being tracked in the same manner.

Brooks said she reported the situation to the police but she was told she couldn’t file a police report because no crime had been committed.

AirTags are a newer invention from Apple that were launched in April of 2021 for completely innocent purposes—to help keep track of things like your wallet, keys, and phone. Apple says online that only the owner of the AirTag can see where it is and that the company specifically built in an automatic notification system to alert people of unknown tracking.

“AirTag and the Find My network have also been designed to discourage unwanted tracking,” Apple says. “To discourage tracking without your knowledge, Find My will notify you if an unknown AirTag or other Find My network accessory is seen moving with you over time.”

If an AirTag isn’t near a person who registered it for an extended period of time, it will play a sound when it’s moved so you can find it, Apple says. The company also offers advice online on how to locate its owner or disable an AirTag if you happen to find one.

“To disable the AirTag or Find My network accessory and stop sharing your location, tap Instructions to Disable and follow the onscreen steps,” the Apple support site says. “If you feel your safety is at risk, contact your local law enforcement who can work with Apple. You might need to provide the AirTag, Find My network accessory, or the device’s serial number.”

The implication for parents with small children is terrifying. If your household only has Android and not Apple devices, there’s a Tracker Detect app as well.

Check for nearby AirTag or Find My Network accessories with an Android device
If you use an Android device, you can download the Tracker Detect app from the Google Play Store. Tracker Detect looks for item trackers within Bluetooth range that are separated from their owner and that are compatible with Apple’s Find My network. These include AirTag and compatible item trackers that use the Find My network. If you think someone is using an AirTag or another item tracker to track your location, you can scan to try to find it. If the app detects an AirTag or compatible item tracker near you for at least 10 minutes, you can play a sound to help locate it.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.trackerdetect