Like growing numbers of parents, a member of Britain’s Royal family is keeping tabs on his 10-year-old daughter with an Apple AirTag. Former England rugby star Mike Tindall, who is married to the King’s niece, Zara Philips, placed the device on his young daughter when the family attended a recent equestrian event where Philips competed in a cross-country event.
Media coverage of the family’s outing prompted online debate about the devices, with many parents suggesting they are a preferable alternative to mobile phones, while others pointed out the dark side of the increasingly popular technology.
The AirTags were initially intended to help people locate lost objects, but their use has expanded, with some people even admitting they use them to keep track of their partners. Some TikTok users confessed to secretly placing them in their loved ones’ bags or clothing. Tutorials appeared on the video-sharing site entitled “How to track your man,” prompting a woman to admit she had hidden one in her husband’s sneakers. “You never know what might happen in a bar, especially late at night,” she said.
Experts suggest that the technology is also used for even more nefarious purposes, including stalking. Research indicates that some people in abusive or controlling relationships have discovered AirTags among their property, leaving them frightened and in “a state of perpetual anxiety and fear.”
In response, Apple has applied safety measures, including a facility that alerts people to the device’s presence. Campaigners, however, say this is not enough and technology companies have a duty to help police track down stalkers who use the technology to prey on their victims. To facilitate this, experts say tech companies should be obliged to provide data to law enforcement about who has purchased the device and how they have used it.
The Cyber Helpline, which campaigns against online victimization, has called for a cultural shift in how society thinks about stalking and for the crime to be taken more seriously. It argues that tech companies and lawmakers must unequivocally “stand in solidarity with victims and survivors and fight for a world where personal safety isn’t compromised.”
