Two women have filed lawsuits against Apple after they were stalked by exes using the company’s controversial AirTags.
On Monday, the class action lawsuit was filed in a San Francisco federal court on behalf of Lauren Hughes and “Jane Doe.” Both women claim that the device Apple has called “Stalker-Proof,” is actually the complete opposite. According to the filing, the victims were tracked by former romantic partners using the tags, raising further safety concerns.
In the court filing, Hughes, of Travis County, Texas, detailed being followed by her ex-boyfriend, who used the $29 device to harass her once their three-month relationship ended. He placed the AirTag into the wheel well of one of her car tires and colored it with a sharpie to disguise it. When he refused to stop stalking her and leaving objects at her home, the victim checked into a hotel. While there, she received a notification on her iPhone that an AirTag had also tracked her there. Hughes was forced to move to a new residence, and her ex followed her there too.
The second plaintiff shared a similar tale of her ex-husband tracking her movements by secretly placing an AirTag in their child’s backpack. After disabling the device, she soon found another one in its place. The lawsuit says the man has displayed a “commitment” to stalking his former wife despite her efforts to stop the harassment.
“Ms. Doe 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 Plaintiff’s location,” the lawsuit read. “[She] seeks to bring this action anonymously due to the real risk that being identified would expose her to increased risk of harassment and/or physical harm.”
Since their debut in 2021, AirTags have been shrouded in criticism. Touted as a way to keep up with personal belongings, these easily concealed devices have been used in much more malicious ways. Just days ago, reality star Nene Leakes revealed to her Instagram followers that she discovered an AirTag tracking her. Rapper Xzibit also recently shared that he’d found an AirTag on his car. In June, an Indiana woman made headlines for using the gadget to track and ultimately kill her boyfriend.
Despite the backlash, Apple is refusing to discontinue the Bluetooth locator. They have added additional safety features, such as alerting people sooner if someone is tracking them, which has done little to avert determined stalkers.
The company has not publicly addressed this lawsuit.
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