In the United States, the judicial backlash against the Cupertino firm is taking on an unprecedented scale. At the heart of the debates, the AirTag location tag is increasingly being singled out for the criminal abuses it facilitates, becoming the preferred tool of many stalkers.
Launched in 2021, Apple’s AirTag tracker is recognized both as an everyday lifesaver and as a formidable tool for criminals. As early as 2022, the first lawsuits had already been filed against the brand, accusing the device of having become one of the market’s most intrusive and anxiety-provoking surveillance technologies.
AirTags: a surge in complaints in California
And lawsuits are multiplying, Consumer Notice reports, notably in California federal courts. “One of the most dangerous and frightening technologies used by stalkers is the exploitation of real-time location information to track their victims, one of the lawsuits states. These technologies allow stalkers to track their victims’ movements in real time and to thwart any attempt by the victim to escape the stalker or hide from them.”
Apple accused of preventive inaction
Since the gadget’s release, Apple would have received tens of thousands of messages concerning the danger posed by AirTags. “Apple continues to react to the harm its product has caused, instead of preventing it prophylactically,” states the same lawsuit.
Towards a large-scale class action?
If more complaints are filed, they could be combined into a “federal multidistrict litigation,” an American procedure used to speed up justice when too many similar cases arise within the same timeframe.
