Apple publishes Airtag safety guide amid harassment and stalking fears
Apple has launched a safety guide after stalking and harassment concerns were raised over the company's Airtag.
The newest product in Apple’s line-up, the accessory is a small sensor that can be attached to items such as keys and wallets or placed into backpacks to help find them when lost. Connecting to the Find My app on a user’s Apple devices, AirTag and the item they are attached to can then be tracked down.
But there have been concerns that they may be used to track people without their knowledge.
Apple's Personal User Safety Guide gives support for people who are "concerned about or experiencing technology-enabled abuse, stalking or harassment".
The guide gives instructions on what to do if you have given personal information to someone who you no longer trust, or if you’re concerned someone who had access to your device or accounts made changes without your permission.
Someone slipped an Apple Air Tag into US Model Brooks Nader's coat pocket on a night out and tracked the 25-year-old for hours
US Model Brooks Nader is one of several women who claim they have been tracked by an Apple AirTag.
In a video posted to her Instagram Stories, she believes the device was placed in her belongings while she was at a bar in Manhattan. She was notified as she walked home from a night out in New York City at around 11.30pm.
In the post, she said: “I was at the bar and waiting on someone alone and had my coat on the chair behind me. It was crowded. Lots of people.”
Later as she walked home, she received a notification on her phone “that said someone is tracking you and has been for a while”.
She said that at that point, she “freaked out” and then her phone died.
AirTags sends out secure Bluetooth signal that can be detected by nearby devices in the Find My network. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud — then you can go to the Find My app and see it on a map.
Amid privacy fears, Apple launched an Android app at the end of last year to help users scan nearby AirTags or similar item trackers that might be 'travelling' with them without their knowledge.
The Tracker Detect app allows a user to scan for AirTags or compatible devices if they believed someone is using it to track their location.