Women claim to have found Airtags on them, these new geo-locating gadgets released by Apple. Getty Images:
In recent weeks, accounts of this new form of cyber-attack have multiplied on social media. Women claim to have found Airtags on them that don’t belong to them, these new geo-locating gadgets launched by Apple in 2021.
“You should not use Airtags to track people or find objects that do not belong to you,” Apple reminds on its dedicated page. And yet. For several weeks, women in France have been reporting on social media that they have found these new geo-geographical gadgets in their personal belongings. Launched in 2021 by the American company, these small tools, which cost only 39 euros, were originally designed to find lost objects, such as keys or a wallet. An effective accessory, barely bigger than a coin, it is misused by some, mostly men, to stalk and harass women.
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Slipped discreetly into handbags, it allows cybercriminals to track their victims through a geolocation app that connects the device to their smartphone. “Les Parisiennes, be extra careful with AirTags. Someone put me on a few days ago in the 16th arrondissement. And here it is, a friend of mine just found it on his way home from the gym. With that they start again with the ball. Pay extra attention. The dogs are out,” one user wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, June 13, causing a real outcry on social media. In less than a week, the message was read almost 4 million times and collected 20,000 “likes”.
From persecution to murder
Similar stories have been heard before since 2021, but mostly related to the United States. In June 2022, Alison Carney, a resident of Chicago, had the same surprise as her French colleagues when she found the tool in question in her bag. With nearly 10,000 followers on Instagram, this professional singer was one of the first to shed light on this new disaster. Having been harassed by her boyfriend for several weeks, the young woman felt hunted, with him coming to the same parties as her or knocking on her door in the middle of the night. “When I found this AirTag, it became clear that I’m not crazy. I knew someone was watching me, he told his community. I isolated myself. I stopped going out (…) I know that someone can put a device on my body, on my property and track me for the rest of my life. And (these accessories) are getting smaller and harder to detect.”
This new technology has even led to murder, always on the other side of the Atlantic. In June 2022, a 26-year-old man was killed by his girlfriend in Indiana. A young woman who suspected her partner of cheating tracked his location using Airtags. Involved in various cases of harassment and cyberattacks and even murder, this subversion is therefore developing in France, posing a real threat.
A fine of 45,000 euros
In the face of the wave of business, Apple has revised its official instruction page. “If an AirTag, AirPods, or other Find My network accessory separated from its owner appears to be traveling with you, you are notified in two ways (your smartphone will receive a notification or make a sound, editor’s note) These features were created specifically to prevent anyone from following you without your knowledge,” Steve Jobs’ company explains, also reminding you that this crime is a crime punishable by law. Indeed, according to Article 226-1 of the Criminal Code, violating the intimacy of someone else’s private life is punishable by one year of imprisonment and a fine of 45 thousand euros. To protect yourself, there are apps that can detect these trackers, such as AirTag Detector, Tracker Detect, or Air Detector.
The path to follow
On Twitter, French Gendarmerie officer Mathieu Audibert, who specializes in cybercrime, gave some keys to victims who find themselves in this situation: do not remove the battery. If you are at home, get out quickly and file a complaint. It is possible to return to the owner,” he explains. And Apple will add on its website. “If you fear for your safety, contact the local authorities who can then work with (us) to get information about the facility. You may need to provide the serial number of your AirTag, AirPods, Find My network accessory, or device.” In the meantime, the first tip remains to be more vigilant outside the doors of your home.
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Source: Le Figaro
