There were 80,000 stalking incidents recorded in England and Wales between 2020-2021 and now there’s a new gadget being used to track women’s movements: the Apple AirTag.
Originally intended to help users find their bags, keys, or wallets if they get lost, the coin-sized Bluetooth technology is being placed in women’s bags, pockets, and cars to keep tabs on them wherever they go.
‘An Apply AirTag was put on me to track my location on Saturday night,’ wrote the author and actress Hannah Rose May in a now viral Twitter post. ‘I’m sharing what happened to me so you can know what to look for.
‘I was [at] an after-hours event at Disneyland from 11:45pm to 2am,’ she explained. ‘I got a “Find My” notification at the end of the night that I didn’t think anything of but opened it anyway and it turned out to be this…someone had been tracking me for two hours.
‘This map shows when it started tracking me up until I got the safety alert and I was able to disable it’ she continued. ‘Fortunately for me, I was able to disable it right before driving home. And I never wandered alone, to get a drink or use the bathroom. I stayed with a group.
‘If you ever get a “Find My” notification, make sure you open the app immediately as the safety app doesn’t appear on the screen you have to open the app,’ she urged. ‘Non iPhone users, Apple created an app for Androids for this very reason called Tracker Detect.
‘Airtags are the size of a coin,’ she continued. ‘It’s scary how easy they are to slip into a pocket or purse…Stay safe everyone. Be diligent.’
In a statement, Apple ‘condemned in the strongest possible terms any malicious use’ of their devices. ‘Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag,’ they said.
But what happened to Hannah is not an isolated incident. In Las Vegas, a 25-year-old was arrested after allegedly following someone with an Apply AirTag. Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader previously posted an Instagram story explaining how she’d had one placed in her pocket at a New York restaurant.
According to a report by Vice in April, there have been 150 police reports, from eight different American police departments, that mention AirTags.
How can you protect yourself from being stalked by an Apple AirTag?
If you realise you’re being tracked by an Apple AirTag, immediately open the app and disable the connection. Take note of your surroundings and anything or anyone suspicious who’s around you. It’s also worth turning off Bluetooth and location access on your phone until you know you’re safe.
The AirTag may not only be connected to your phone by someone nearby but placed subtly on your person or belongings without you realising. Go through your bag, check your pockets and feel under the mats, seats and bonnet of your car in case the device has been hidden there.
If you find the AirTag, take out the battery and hand the device into the police who may be able to link the product back to the owner and find out who followed you without your consent.