By: The New York Times
December 6, 2022
Two women sued Apple on Monday over the dangers of its AirTag tracking devices in the hands of stalkers, saying the company had failed to heed warnings from advocacy groups and news reports.
The proposed class action lawsuit was filed on Monday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and accuses Apple of failing to introduce effective safeguards that would prevent stalkers from using AirTags to track people. The women said the devices had been used by their former partners to track them.
Apple introduced AirTags, which cost $29 and are about the size of a quarter, last year as a device that could be used to track personal items like keys and wallets. Other devices pick up their Bluetooth signals; some iPhone users get alerts if a nearby AirTag is moving alongside them. Advocates for survivors of domestic violence warned early on that stalkers could take advantage of the trackers.
“With a price point of just $29, it has become the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers,” the lawsuit said.