Should Apple discontinue AirTags following recent stalking cases?

Apple just released a Personal Safety User Guide for anyone concerned about abuse, stalking, or harassment due to technology. Although they had a similar privacy guide last year, this new one includes a page specifically about the AirTag and Find My devices.

It’s great that Apple released this personal safety guide as it could help you review, take action, and educate yourself on technological privacy matters. However, there is more than meets the eye. This guide’s release follows many stories and controversies regarding the AirTag and many stalking cases that have utilised the device. This is Apple’s way of acknowledging the events while trying to inform and hopefully minimise the abuse of Find My accessories in the future.

AirTags have been a new tool for stalkers

Apple’s AirTag is a tracking device that’s designed to help you find household items such as keys or other personal belongings. However, ever since the release of the AirTag, there have been countless reported cases of misuse by stalkers all around the world. Even users on TikTok are sharing this common experience, like user ‘angel.edge95’ who garnered 32.9 million views and 3.9 million likes on her initial video.

@angel.edge95 #greenscreen ⚠️share this with your loved ones ⚠️ #ASOSChaoticToCalm #traffickingawarenes #airtag ♬ original sound – biker baddie ✨

These stalkers are often car thieves as well, hiding the AirTag under the number plate or somewhere else hidden in your car. Apart from the risk of car theft, there’s also the obvious increased danger that women now face that there is an easily attainable tracking device.

Unlike some tracking products, Apple launched the AirTag with anti-stalking features built-in. One of them was that the AirTag would make a sound and send a notification to your iPhone if it was detected to be moving with you for more than three days. The media found that a lot of stalking can be done in three days, so Apple reduced the time to between eight and 24 hours following backlash. Your device must be running on iOS or iPad OS 14.5 or later, and you can check here to see if your device is compatible. Generally, if your device is an iPhone 6s or newer, then it should be compatible.

Sure, Apple users might get a notification, but what about Android users? Last month, Apple released the Tracker Detect app so that Android users can search for AirTags and other Find My trackers like the Chipolo One Spot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t automatically scan for trackers though, as it only supports manual scanning. If you’re concerned about this, you can get ‘Air Guard‘, which is an open-source app that automatically scans for unwanted AirTags just like iOS devices. However, it seems like your battery life might take a toll if you enable automatic scanning.

Why keep them around?

At this point, it seems like the AirTag is a luxury that only leads to thefts, stalking, and possibly worse crimes in the future. While it might be true, the AirTag can also be genuinely useful for some users. Those with ADHD could find them extremely valuable as it helps them deal with short-term memory problems and have a more stable lifestyle. Others have reported using AirTags to find a lost cat or even elderly relatives with dementia.

Should Apple discontinue the AirTag? It’s tough to say, as it seems like there are more and more stalking cases happening with no real solution Apple can offer. Despite this, it is highly unlikely that Apple will stop selling the AirTags as it is now a widely appreciated product. What do you think? Is Apple responsible for the misuse of their devices or do users simply have to be more careful?

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