Two women are suing Apple over claims that its AirTags are fueling stalking incidents in the US.
“With a price point of just $29, it has become the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers,” the filing alleges. The women filed the class-action lawsuit in a US federal court, as first spotted by Bloomberg. One of the plaintiffs, Texas resident Lauren Hughes, said a stalker used an AirTag last year to track her by placing the device in the wheel well of her car.
The lawsuit also claims Hughes received little help from Apple or local police in stopping the stalker. “Ms. Hughes continues to fear for her safety—at minimum, her stalker has evidenced a commitment to continuing to use AirTags to track, harass, and threaten her, and continues to use AirTags to find her location,” the complaint adds.
The other plaintiff is an unnamed woman from New York called “Jane Doe,” who faced stalking from her ex-husband with the help of an AirTag this past summer.
“Ms. Doe was unable to figure out how her former spouse could follow her movements so closely, until one day she found an AirTag in her child’s backpack. She attempted to disable or otherwise render ineffective that AirTag, but another one soon showed up in its place,” the complaint says. The unnamed woman also continues to fear for her safety.
To make its case against Apple, the lawsuit points to numerous news articles and reviews about the stalking risks associated with AirTags. It also cites reports about AirTags being used to help abusers track down their victims and kill them in two separate cases in Akron, Ohio, and Indianapolis.
“While Apple has built safeguards into the AirTag product, they are woefully inadequate, and do little, if anything, to promptly warn individuals if they are being tracker,” the lawsuit argues. “Moreover, there is a gross imbalance between the protections available to iOS/Apple users, versus those available to individuals with Android devices —rendering Android users nearly defenseless to tracking/stalking using an AirTag.”
The lawsuit is suing Apple for a dozen different charges, including negligence, violation of the right to privacy, unjust enrichment, and demanding the company pay up in damages.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company continues to add refinements to AirTags to prevent stalking. This includes releasing an app for Android users to help them detect rogue AirTags, although it's up to the consumer to download it. In addition, Apple says it's been working with law enforcement to crack down on malicious AirTag use.
If you’re concerned about stalking from AirTags, check out our guide for tips on how to protect yourself.