Judge says Apple must face a lawsuit over the use of AirTag units to stalk victims

Judge says Apple must face a lawsuit over the use of AirTag units to stalk victims،

Apple will have to deal with the use of its AirTag object trackers as a tool used by stalkers to stalk their victims. A San Francisco judge has ruled that Apple must assume the role of defendant in a class-action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of negligence in allowing its AirTag to be used by stalkers. Yahoo said that even though the vast majority of the three dozen claims filed in the class action were dismissed by the judge, he refused to grant Apple the dismissal it requested.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria refused to allow Apple to walk because of the three plaintiffs who claimed that “when they were harassed, the problems with the AirTag's security features were significant and that these defects in safety caused their injuries. The plaintiffs claim that Apple received numerous advanced warnings that AirTag trackers could be misused by stalkers. According to the plaintiffs, this would make the company potentially liable under California law. Of course, Apple disagrees.

The lawsuit claims the AirTag has “become the weapon of choice for stalkers and abusers.”

The lawsuit, which was filed in Northern California District Court, says AirTag object trackers have “become the weapon of choice for stalkers and abusers.” In the original lawsuit, the plaintiffs wrote: “Apple's design of the AirTag was defective because the product did not work – and does not work – as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect when using it. was used or misused in a manner intended or reasonably foreseeable. path.”

If an unknown AirTag travels with you, you'll see this notification and be able to make the malicious tracker play a sound - Judge says Apple faces lawsuit over using AirTag units to track victims

If an unknown AirTag moves with you, you will see this notification and can ask the malicious tracker to play a sound.

To combat the use of AirTag object trackers as a stalking tool, Apple added a feature that allows an AirTag to emit a loud sound when it is within a certain distance of its owner. If an AirTag becomes separated from its owner and moves with you over time, you will receive a notification alerting you. If we can just pause this story for a second, if you get a notification that an unknown AirTag is traveling with you, tap the notification, then tap “Play Sound.” Follow the sound to find the AirTag tracking you. Apple and Google are also working together to combat the use of object trackers as stalking tools.

However, Android users are more likely to be tracked by an AirTag. As the lawsuit says, “Thus, individuals who do not own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch are therefore more
vulnerable to tracking using an AirTag. Android mobile devices have a 41.9% market share in the United States, which means that almost half of the American population would not receive any notifications if they were tracked by an AirTag. »

AirTag trackers do not connect to the Internet; instead, they use Bluetooth technology

The suit explains how the AirTag works. “AirTags are not themselves connected to the Internet. Instead, they use Bluetooth technology, transmitting Bluetooth signals to any Apple device that is nearby. In turn, these Apple devices report where an AirTag has was last seen. Once an AirTag is identified as being near one or more Apple devices, the devices act as collaborative beacons, pinging the AirTag to locate it for the owner of the AirTag. The owner sees the AirTag on a map, and as they get closer to the AirTag, the owner switches interfaces and is directed with an arrow, sending them directly to the AirTag.

Bluetooth has a range of approximately 30 feet. As the plaintiffs note, “for an AirTag to be identified by an Apple device, it must be within 30 feet of that device, at which time the AirTag will have been located on the network of iPhone, iPad , iPod, etc. from Apple. are owned and used by consumers in the United States. This network is vast: in 2017, 64% of Americans owned an Apple product.