Apple AirTag stalking has become an increasingly worrying issue — here are some of the best tips to avoid being tracked by stalkers and thieves using Apple’s latest gadget to target your family.
Breitbart News has previously reported that criminals are using Apple AirTag tracking devices to aid in the theft of vehicles. Suspects were reportedly placing the AirTags in “out of sight” areas of cars such as the inside of gas caps or various other crevices. After following their targets home, the criminals are reportedly able to hack the ignition of the vehicles with an electronic device “typically used by mechanics to reprogram the factory setting” before stealing the car from the driveway of its owner.
It was later reported that criminals were continuing to use the devices for various other crimes. One woman was alerted via her iPhone that an AirTag was “Found moving with you.” The woman, worried to go home for fear of someone tracking her, stayed somewhere else for the night before having someone search her car. An Apple AirTag was found attached inside a wheel well.
Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy group based in San Francisco, commented on the situation stating: “I don’t think there’s any question that Apple’s AirTags are being used for stalking.”
So how can you protect yourself from Apple AirTag tracking? There are a number of ways.
iPhone users:
In a “Personal Safety Guide” published on its website, Apple has provided information on how people can check if they have an unknown AirTag somewhere nearby and what to do if they hear an AirTag alert or receive a notification. Apple states:
To discourage unwanted tracking, Find My notifies you if an unknown AirTag or other Find My accessory is seen moving with you over time by sending you the message, “Item Detected Near You.”
If you see this message on your device, an AirTag or other Find My accessory that has been separated from the person who registered it is traveling with you, and the owner might be able to see its location. It’s possible that the AirTag might be attached to an item you are borrowing.
Android users:
But what if you don’t have an iPhone that can automatically detect a nearby AirTag?
Android users can use the Android app released by Apple called “Tracker Detect” for Android users. Other third-party apps in the Google Play store can also be used to find Bluetooth devices nearby, simply search for “Bluetooth Scanner” to find a number of apps on offer.
What to do if you find an AirTag:
If you physically find an unwanted AirTag nearby, you and fully disable it by removing the battery cover of the device. Simply twist counterclockwise on the back of the device and remove the battery, this ensures that the device can no longer track you whatsoever.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com