A court will have to rule on a case opposing two women claiming to have been abused, indirectly, by AirTags. The first saw her ex-companion spy on her by tracking her geolocation in real time thanks to small smart beacons from Apple, where it was in the business of the daughter of the second that her husband placed the device. Practices strictly prohibited, but which have therefore been possible thanks to equipment available over the counter for only a few tens of euros. This, even though Cupertino has yet developed a feature to fight against…
Indeed, iPhone users can be warn that an AirTag is tracking them via a notification sent to their mobile. But you still have to meet a few prerequisites, including activating Bluetooth and other settings accessible from the proprietary app Locate. It is therefore a safe bet that the victims of this case did not respect these instructions to the letter, but it is the judge who will have to decide.
How to protect yourself now?
Here’s how to make sure you’re alerted if an unwanted AirTag is “watching” you:
- check that your device is running iPadOS 14.5 or iOS 14.5
- open the Settings app
- touch Privacy
- activate Location service
- touch System Services
- activate Find My iPhone
- return to the Settings app home screen
- touch Bluetooth
- turn on bluetooth
- open the Find My app
- touch Me
- turn on tracking notifications
- open it Control center
- turn it off airplane mode if enabled
If an AirTag follows you
If you’ve received an alert that an AirTag is following you, there are a few key recommendations for how to respond. Already, it is a question of finding the beacon by ringing it. Then the manufacturer advises disable manually. To do this, simply hold down the battery cover and then turn it to the left, then remove the battery in question. You should know that when this is done, the original owner of the AirTag will no longer be able to know where you are.
In case you suspect a form of harassment, it is also possible to notify the authorities and provide them with the offending AirTag. In some cases, the police can then make a request to Apple to find out the name of the owner of the beacon. We know that the firm often collaborates in this type of case, going so far as to keep the public informed with a report on transparency.
Source: Presse-Citron
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
