AirTags used to stalk women

[Montana One-Six]

Summary

 

Brooks Nader, a model, found an Apple AirTag that apparently was slipped into her coat while she was out in New York City. Her phone alerted her that an unknown item has been following her for about 5 hours. She isn't the first one to report something like that. There have been numerous other women who were apparently stalked with the help of AirTags since their release.

 

Quotes

Quote

Brooks Nader, 26, claims the disturbing incident occurred Wednesday night while she was out in New York City, and she only realized it when her iPhone alerted her to the fact that an “unknown accessory” was moving with her. “This ‘device’ followed me for the last five hours to every location and [it belonged to] no one in my ‘network.’ It also wasn’t a phone or tablet, it was an ‘item,'” she explained. “For those asking, it’s not my AirTag, it’s someone randoms, who must have slipped it into my belongings while out. Thank you all for checking in and sending helpful articles. I want this to be a PSA to all my ladies to please please check your belongings.”

 

Nader is hardly the first woman to be stalked with the aid of Apple tech. In Mississippi, a 27-year-old woman called police on Dec. 27 after receiving a notification on her iPhone that she had an unregistered AirTag on her person. Also last month, a Maryland woman took to Twitter to share her disturbing tale of a stalker attaching an AirTag to her car before she left a bar in the early hours of the morning. And, back in July, a Texas woman went viral on TikTok after revealing an AirTag had been placed in her purse and used by an unknown person to gauge her whereabouts.

 

My thoughts

  Realistically AirTags didn't start this but made it significantly easier to do such things, as it is simple, cheap and they are easy to hide because of their size. Without an iPhone you most likely will not notice that someone is tracking you with an AirTag if you don't find it physically. Even the iPhone is only reporting it after a few hours. Which could be enough for a stalker to get vital information from that. Another issue could be the amount of time you spend in range of the AirTag that is stalking you, like if it is in your car or jacket. If you use those things only for about an hour at a time max and then leave the range of the AirTag for several hours it could be possible to be stalked for a lot longer before your iPhone will warn you about it.

 

Sources

 https://nypost.com/2022/01/07/sports-illustrated-model-is-latest-victim-of-airtag-stalker/

[WhitetailAni]

"Hey Steve, why is the tag saying it's at that sewer grate?"
"Dunno, maybe the lady climbed down to escape us?"

 

I'm glad that this doesn't allow tracking any AirTag and instead being like "hey someone stuck an AirTag on you and now you can be located anywhere".

$10 says parents buy these up and plant them on their kids.

[dizmo]

As things like this become smaller, it was only a matter of time before it started happening. You could buy cheapish car trackers for decades. This is just a continuation of that. I'd really wonder how many people it's happening to. I don't think it's prolific as media will make it seem, as pretty much everything these days is blown out of proportion so that they can get clicks and revenue from ads.

[wanderingfool2]

13 minutes ago, dizmo said:

As things like this become smaller, it was only a matter of time before it started happening. You could buy cheapish car trackers for decades. This is just a continuation of that. I'd really wonder how many people it's happening to. I don't think it's prolific as media will make it seem, as pretty much everything these days is blown out of proportion so that they can get clicks and revenue from ads.

I would think that it's being used as spousal tracking a lot more than what people would expect though.  Problem with things like car trackers is that they still cost a decent chunk of change (requires sim card, data plan, the device itself).  AirTags makes it affordable and in the realm of anyone being able to do it.

[StDragon]

It's a solved issue. The AirTag itself will sound an audible alert after a random 8 to 24 hour period of being separated from the iPhone it's registered with. As for tracking family members, Apple recommends the Apple Watch with family setup.

 

What I do see happening however is some law that requires ID and a background check (felons banned for example) before buying any device that allows for tracking; with the tag registered to the owner. So basically, you couldn't buy them as a gift for someone which would be the tradeoff.

[BobVonBob]

12 minutes ago, dizmo said:

As things like this become smaller, it was only a matter of time before it started happening. You could buy cheapish car trackers for decades. This is just a continuation of that. I'd really wonder how many people it's happening to. I don't think it's prolific as media will make it seem, as pretty much everything these days is blown out of proportion so that they can get clicks and revenue from ads.

Just because it's going to be exaggerated doesn't mean it's not a serious problem. That these devices can be used to covertly stalk people is something that's going to need to be addressed as they get ever smaller and more capable.

 

IMO there's a bonus creepy factor with Airtags because your own phone/the phones of your friends and family are assisting in stalking you by reporting your location to the owner of the Airtag, but that's beside the point.

[Lightwreather]

24 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

$10 says parents buy these up and plant them on their kids.

Well, now I'm paranoid.....

[wanderingfool2]

12 minutes ago, StDragon said:

It's a solved issue. The AirTag itself will sound an audible alert after a random 8 to 24 hour period of being separated from the iPhone it's registered with. As for tracking family members, Apple recommends the Apple Watch with family setup.

 

What I do see happening however is some law that requires ID and a background check (felons banned for example) before buying any device that allows for tracking; with the tag registered to the owner. So basically, you couldn't buy them as a gift for someone which would be the tradeoff.

Well I mean, it's not really a "solved" issue.  "8 to 24 hour period" is a whole lot of time, enough to reveal someones house.  It is what it is though, a tradeoff.  The ability to find lost items, vs the ability to track someone.  Everyone will have differing opinions on where they draw the line in regards to how far is too far when it comes to it.  For myself, it hits close to home in that I know someone who has an active stalker, so I feel that notifying someone 5 hours after the fact is way too long.  I get that there are other ways and such, but we are talking about a giant network of phones that Apple has effectively enabled

 

Examples of how it could be abused, celebrity meet and greets where it's slipped onto them at the end of greeting...now you might know where the celebrity lives.  Similar things to politicians, an easy way to track down where they live...or like in this case stalking someone from a bar.

[Fasterthannothing]

Cheap and small GPS units have been around for a long time. However Apple should not be making this so easy. The fact that this isn't GPS but rather works due to a creepy as heck shadow network that uses bluetooth signals and triangulation to track you. I mean what a privacy crap show!  Maybe instead of sending out a Bluetooth signal to an entire network they only allow these to work like a normal Bluetooth tracker and it can only connect to one device and only works in normal Bluetooth range.

[Sauron]

Maybe it's a strategy to sell iphones. Want to be warned when you're being stalked using our product? Better buy our other product...

On 1/11/2022 at 6:06 PM, wanderingfool2 said:

I would think that it's being used as spousal tracking a lot more than what people would expect though

Honestly if you pull this on your spouse you probably deserve to be cheated on...

On 1/11/2022 at 6:06 PM, StDragon said:

It's a solved issue. The AirTag itself will sound an audible alert after a random 8 to 24 hour period of being separated from the iPhone it's registered with.

Nice, I'm sure absolutely nothing bad can happen within 8 hours of your every move being tracked by a stalker. Not to mention that, by the time you realize, the stalker might know where you and/or your friends or family live, your daily routine and more. Plus there's no guarantee you'll actually be around to hear it when it sounds the alert.

 

I hope someone finds a way to jam this trash in a 100m radius.

[StDragon]

20 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Next: Apple Collar Max

FYI - GPS Ankle bracelets exist for law enforcement. They're primarily used to ensure the offender is adhering to curfew by being at home at a certain time or staying away from a residence outside the geofenced region.

 

One such example below.
https://www.sentineladvantage.com/om400/ 

 

[Zodiark1593]

1 hour ago, SlidewaysZ said:

 Maybe instead of sending out a Bluetooth signal to an entire network they only allow these to work like a normal Bluetooth tracker and it can only connect to one device and only works in normal Bluetooth range.

That kind of defeats the entire point of Airtags however. 

[Salv8 (sam)]

i bet the media starts calling it the stalkertag since it's that easy, don't even need a custom service nor equiment.

$45 AUD and you have the ability to track your target for at least 8 hours without them knowing.

i wonder how long until apple pulls this and shuts down the service due to the amount of abuse it's getting...

[Mnky313]

3 hours ago, StDragon said:

Apple recommends the Apple Watch with family setup.

lol, of course they do. $30 for an airtag or $300+ for an Apple watch....

[dalekphalm]

This is not surprising.

 

As previously mentioned, there is a very fine line between allowing you to track your own lost belongings, and the ability to use it nefariously to track a non-consenting third party.

 

Something to mention: Apple released an Android App that allows you to detect tags that have been away from the owner enough to be flagged as lost. So you *do not* need an iPhone to tell if you're being tracked.

 

Something definitely needs to be done though. The idea of having these registered by the owner and showing ID before purchasing isn't a horrible idea (though God Forbid what the "freedom" folks will think of that - also good luck getting all the various countries to agree on similar legislation).

 

I do agree that 8-24 hours is way too long, if you're literally being stalked. Especially if they're clever enough to keep coming in range of the tag to reset the timer. I don't know the exact range but since it's Bluetooth, they could literally be outside your home, and be in range of the tag, thus preventing it from ever alerting you. Some bluetooth devices easily get upwards of 30 feet of range.

[Fasterthannothing]

1 hour ago, Zodiark1593 said:

That kind of defeats the entire point of Airtags however. 

How in what planet do you need a GPS like system to find whatever you stuck the air tag on? I mean a tile device works just fine and no one is getting stalked with those.

[Arika]

Good to know Apple is really looking out for your privacy....

[Helpful Tech Witch]

3 hours ago, SlidewaysZ said:

I mean what a privacy crap show!  Maybe instead of sending out a Bluetooth signal to an entire network they only allow these to work like a normal Bluetooth tracker and it can only connect to one device and only works in normal Bluetooth range.

Sure.

but when tile trackers came out no one was pissed like this....

[Blademaster91]

26 minutes ago, SlidewaysZ said:

How in what planet do you need a GPS like system to find whatever you stuck the air tag on? I mean a tile device works just fine and no one is getting stalked with those.

A tile device works with bluetooth, so someone can't be stalked as easily with a tile device.

6 minutes ago, Helpful Tech Wiard said:

Sure.

but when tile trackers came out no one was pissed like this....

That is because a tile works on bluetooth, and doesn't require an iphone if you don't want to find if you've been tracked for 8 hours.

[dalekphalm]

24 minutes ago, SlidewaysZ said:

How in what planet do you need a GPS like system to find whatever you stuck the air tag on? I mean a tile device works just fine and no one is getting stalked with those.

AirTags don't use GPS. Also you probably can stalk someone with a Tile device, it's just not quite as easy.

 

Anyway the point of the AirTag system is that if you lose something, you might not know exactly where to look (within BT range), so the idea is that it allows other devices to help look for you.

1 minute ago, Blademaster91 said:

A tile device works with bluetooth, so someone can't stalked as easily with a tile device.

That is because a tile works on bluetooth, and doesn't require an iphone if you don't want to find if you've been tracked for 8 hours.

Note: You don't need an iPhone. There's an Android App for that.

[AnonymousGuy]

Quote

 Her phone alerted her that an unknown item has been following her for about 5 hours. 

So the anti-stalking feature worked as intended and this is basically non-issue.

 

It's also not like stalking is a new phenomenon or as though Airtags are really a huge improvement in a stalking toolkit.  Hell get someone's license plate and you have their home address for $5 lookup fee.  Spend $20 and I can find every cell phone number you've ever had.

[Blademaster91]

14 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Note: You don't need an iPhone. There's an Android App for that.

The app doesn't completely solve the problem, anyone with an Android phone has to manually scan for an airtag.

So this still sounds like a clever way to sell iphones, a company that is supposed to be looking out for your privacy and safety only offers a limited way to scan, unless you have an iphone.

 

[Zodiark1593]

33 minutes ago, SlidewaysZ said:

How in what planet do you need a GPS like system to find whatever you stuck the air tag on? I mean a tile device works just fine and no one is getting stalked with those.

I’ve an Airtag in my camera bag (sewn it between the layers rather than dropping it in a pocket), the thing carrying some $2500 worth of camera and lenses. I certainly hope not to need to use the Airtag, but that is another layer or safety net to save me a potential (pretty big) loss. 

[dalekphalm]

12 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

The app doesn't completely solve the problem, anyone with an Android phone has to manually scan for an airtag.

So this still sounds like a clever way to sell iphones, a company that is supposed to be looking out for your privacy and safety only offers a limited way to scan, unless you have an iphone.

I didn't say the Android App was perfect, but it's still an option.

 

Obviously Apple wants you to use their ecosystem - that doesn't make it a grand conspiracy. Though I do think their Android App should allow automatic scanning.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

28 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

A tile device works with bluetooth, so someone can't be stalked as easily with a tile device.

That is because a tile works on bluetooth, and doesn't require an iphone if you don't want to find if you've been tracked for 8 hours.

So do airtags?
and apple already released an app for android to adress it

plus tile trackers also use a network..