This takes “privacy concerns” to another level.
On March 29, there was a confrontation in a shopping center in San Antonio, Texas, and when it ended, Andrew John Herrera was dead.
Police said the incident started when an unidentified man used an Apple (APPLY) AirTag to track your stolen truck.
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Man allegedly used Apple AirTag for crime
After contacting the police, the owner of the vehicle found and approached the alleged thief of the truck, identified as Herrera, who allegedly drew a weapon and was shot in the head by the owner.
Police said on April 3 that the shooting “remains an active investigation at this time.”
“If your vehicle is going to be stolen, don’t take matters into your own hands like this,” said Officer Nick Soliz, according to foxnews. “It’s never safe as can be seen from this incident.”
Introduced in April 2021, AirTag is a small device that the computer giant says would help iPhone users “keep track of and find the important items in their lives.”
The AirTag, which is about the size of a quarter and sells for $29, is meant to help people keep track of keys, backpacks, luggage, and other items.
How do Apple Air Tags work?
AirTags work by establishing a Bluetooth connection with any nearby Apple device. They use that device to determine the tracker’s location and the device’s Internet connection to transmit the location to Apple and then to the customer.
In January, an AirTag helped rescuers in California find a dog that had been swept away by floodwaters.
However, critics say that the device can also be used for darker purposes. A class action lawsuit filed in December described the AirTag as “the weapon of choice for harassers and abusers.”
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, claims that “there have been at least two reported murders in which the killer used an AirTag to track the victim.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company said it condemns “in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products.”
“We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we have received,” the company said in a statement last year. “To the best of our knowledge and discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each case is too much.”
Apple AirTag abuse is not new
Last June, a 26-year-old Indianapolis woman was arrested after allegedly tracking her boyfriend with an AirTag and run him over with his car
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Brooks Nader claimed last year that an Apple AirTag has been slipped into his belongings In New York.
Walking home alone after a night out, she received a notification that someone was tracking her location and had been “for a while,” she said.
The class action lawsuit tries to address some of these dangers. Because of this technology and the ubiquity of Apple products, “it’s virtually impossible to hide from an AirTag in most, if not all, populated areas,” he says.
“While Apple has built security measures into the air tag product, they are woefully inadequate and do little or nothing to adequately warn people if they are being tracked,” the complaint states.
The suit also said that Apple’s Tracker Detect app for Google (Google) – Get a free reportAndroid Users are inadequate, noting that an Android owner “must decide when and where to look for AirTags, something a person who is unknowingly being tracked is unlikely to do.”