CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Apple AirTags were designed to make lives more convenient, but there are some who are concerned they may compromise the privacy of people who don’t even own them.
An AirTag is a small, tile-shaped device that can be attached to personal items such as keys, wallets or luggage. The tag periodically sends messages that can be used to track its location, letting you find any lost or missing items with the help of an app.
While clearly useful, AirTags can also potentially be misused. Concerns have been raised they might facilitate stalking, for example.
Also, there are concerns that the law hasn’t been able to keep up with the technology.
“The legislators have not made any laws that make it unlawful,” said criminal defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh.
As of now, it is not a crime to place an AirTag or a device like it on a vehicle and track a person.
“It’s a gross violation of privacy, I would say as a human being. As a lawyer, I would say there’s nothing that makes it unlawful,” said Eiglarsh.
He said the reason that behavior would not be considered stalking is because the person being tracked is not aware of it.
“It’s tracking. Stalking is when someone knows about it,” said Eiglarsh. “They feel harassed. There’s got to be something more than simply putting the tracking device on. But let me just say this, what roofies (Rohypnol) do for rapists, this tracking device does for stalkers. It makes it easier for them to carry out their offenses.”
Apple addressed privacy concerns in a statement to NewsNation.
“We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag’s privacy and security. AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking — a first in the industry — and the Find My network includes a smart, tunable system with deterrents that applies to AirTag, as well as third-party products part of the Find My network accessory program. We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
