California AirTag Lawsuit Widened to Include Dozens More Stalking Cases

[coolfactor]

Uh oh, I'd better be careful. Every electronics store I walk into that stock AirTags are all "AirTag Stockers". 🤣

But this... "Plaintiffs are seeking damages to all persons in the US who own iOS or Android devices"

Every phone user deserves compensation?? These plaintiffs are on crack.

 

[kc9hzn]

Uh oh, I'd better be careful. Every electronics store I walk into that stock AirTags are all "AirTag Stockers". 🤣

But this... "Plaintiffs are seeking damages to all persons in the US who own iOS or Android devices"

Every phone user deserves compensation?? These plaintiffs are on crack.

Talk about lawyers casting a large net. Each individual class member would be lucky to get $5 out of that, but the lawyers would certainly not be settling for $5. Ah man, it must be nice not to have scruples, life must be much easier if you have no shame about how you get your money.

 

[Verified Whiskey]

one Georgia resident quoted by ArsTechnica reported that she and her daughter were being stalked by someone using AirTags within the past two weeks "without knowing by whom or why." Although she cannot locate the AirTags, she receives daily alerts from Apple and chimes from the AirTags that confirm that the AirTags are still there. These chimes only signal to the victim that she's being perpetually watched. "Every day, I am reminded that me and my daughter are not safe," added the victim in the complaint.

If you get daily notifications from Apple, and daily chimes from the AirTags themselves….. why can’t you just locate them and get rid of them? Sounds like you aren’t taking it as seriously as you thought you were. These cases won’t hold up.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Because Apple tracker makes it a little to easy to track someone else. It basically saying Apple needs to make it easier for someone to find a air tag tracking you and make it easier for the person being stalked to disable them. I would go farther as also make it easier to track back to who the owner of the tag is.

Cars go in excess of 100 mph without any need to, and make it very easy to kill people and get away with it. They already track the owners and drivers of cars, yet people are killed by them all the time, frequently without consequence. So let's ban cars, or at least sue car makers until they...learn their lesson?

Apple already makes it as easy as they could make it. They already tell you not to use it for stolen items because it's not going to hide from a thief. I don't know what else they could do but I definitely do not see how suing Apple about it helps anyone but lawyers.

 

[SanderEvers]

Because Apple tracker makes it a little to easy to track someone else. It basically saying Apple needs to make it easier for someone to find a air tag tracking you and make it easier for the person being stalked to disable them. I would go farther as also make it easier to track back to who the owner of the tag is.

It is already very easy to stop an AirTag from tracking you. Just remove the battery. It's literally a 2 seconds job. Untwist the battery cover and you're done.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Welcome to America where we blame good technology for the actions of bad people and make those not involved in the crime bear the consequences of those who should face harsh penalties. Blame the product, not the perpetrators and pursue the deep pockets. It's the American way!

This case won’t go far because it’s pretty much the same thing as with gun Manufacturers not liable for gun deaths.

 

[TheMountainLife]

Maybe Canon or Sony should also be sued for developing zoom lenses used by voyeurs.

That reminds me of the Sony handicam back in 1998 that could accidently see through peoples clothes because the nightvision was so good. I had one and while I never tested it on clothes, the IR was ridiculously good like it could be militarized.

 

[timborama]

It is already very easy to stop an AirTag from tracking you. Just remove the battery. It's literally a 2 seconds job. Untwist the battery cover and you're done.

Provided you’ve been altered AND found it. Apple should be a lot more proactive in the detection of tracking AirTags.

(1) you should be notified in minutes or hours of a tag following you, not days.
(2) you should be notified of a tag following you in a matter of meters, not km’s.
(3) you shouldn't have to give up privacy or battery to get notifications. Multitude of privacy and location settings (including recent locations) must be enabled to even be alerted to tags tracking you.
(4) there should be an app or utility to scan for unwanted tags whenever I WANT to do so, rather than waiting for Apple to decide when there’s a tag following me.

These are all the minimums that I hope come out of the suit. Best case the whole AirTag system is shuttered.

 

[Born Again]

Funny how you fail to blame the people who are misusing this product for their criminal activities...

Its misuse of course just as gun manufacturers have their role in blame.

 

[Stewie]

If you get daily notifications from Apple, and daily chimes from the AirTags themselves….. why can’t you just locate them and get rid of them? Sounds like you aren’t taking it as seriously as you thought you were. These cases won’t hold up.

While I think this lawsuit is dumb, you can disable the speaker on them. They were selling them on eBay already disabled.

 

[1129846]

The flaw with this is that it would make it easier for a thief to disable the AirTag tracking on a stolen item. As with most things in society, it’s a trade off.

AirTag are not anti thief devices and that is not the primary intent.

 

[1129846]

It is already very easy to stop an AirTag from tracking you. Just remove the battery. It's literally a 2 seconds job. Untwist the battery cover and you're done.

That assumes you can find it.

AirTags are also super easy to damage so they don’t play sounds as well.

 

[1129846]

If you get daily notifications from Apple, and daily chimes from the AirTags themselves….. why can’t you just locate them and get rid of them? Sounds like you aren’t taking it as seriously as you thought you were. These cases won’t hold up.

It is hard to find something that only sometimes beeps at a high frequency like the air tag. Unless you can make it nonstop sound playing until found it does not help you find it.

 

[1129846]

Provided you’ve been altered AND found it. Apple should be a lot more proactive in the detection of tracking AirTags.

(1) you should be notified in minutes or hours of a tag following you, not days.
(2) you should be notified of a tag following you in a matter of meters, not km’s.
(3) you should have to give up privacy or battery to get notifications. Multitude of privacy and location settings (including recent locations) must be enabled to even be alerted to tags tracking you.
(4) there should be an app or utility to scan for unwanted tags whenever I WANT to do so, rather than waiting for Apple to decide when there’s a tag following me.

These are all the minimums that I hope come out of the suit. Best case the whole AirTag system is shuttered.

3 and 4 I think are the most important ones. I would ad a 5th that would be able to remotely disable a tag following you. That means it completely stop providing ANY update no matter if you can find it or not. It has been disabled.

I also believe in stalking cases Apple needs to be more proactive in helping police getting the stalkers.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Why blame Apple? They created AirTag for people to be able to track their stuff.
If some people use it incorrectly, those people should be responsible.
Nobody is blaming the weapon companies because people use guns to kill people.

 

[Basic75]

Nobody is blaming the weapon companies because people use guns to kill people.

Many people are blaming the NRA, which is the weapon manufacturers' propaganda organisation. Does that not count?

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Many people are blaming the NRA, which is the weapon manufacturers' propaganda organisation. Does that not count?

It’s like a whipping with a silk tie.

 

[desslr]

I feel sorry for Apple- the lowlifes of the planet go after them left right and centre because they presume they have big pockets and will get an undeserved pay day. Stay strong!

 

[timborama]

I feel sorry for Apple- the lowlifes of the planet go after them left right and centre because they presume they have big pockets and will get an undeserved pay day. Stay strong!

Who said these people are out for money (aside from the lawyers)? I think the point is they want significant changes to the way AirTag stalking/tracking. You sound pro-Apple without knowing the facts. Apple has to accept some degree of responsibility morally, if not legally, for the bad that people use their products for.

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

Meh, CA lawsuit, just off that I’m against it
Maybe CA could criminalize criminal instead of celebrating them


I used to budget $2k a year for crime when I lived in CA, plus being victimized by the state, you’re way more likely to get “processed” as a working class guy, vs a career victimizer

 

[InvertedGoldfish]

I feel sorry for Apple- the lowlifes of the planet go after them left right and centre because they presume they have big pockets and will get an undeserved pay day. Stay strong!

Nah, it’s because Apple is like Starbucks, they try to be cool to the scumbags so they don’t seem “racist” or whatever, so this is what they get


If I was Apple I would offer a bounty, a free MacBook Pro or iPhone pro for any information leading up to the conviction of a stalker/rapist/burglar/murder/car jacker


Id also make a department and lobby for the prosecution of the people who steal their products from their customers or stores
Apple has enough money, “dont go after these scumbags, we’ll fund your and market for your opposition in the next election”

Side note, found a tracker on a friends car years back, we went to a gas station that had lots of truckers and put it on a trailer lol G’luck with that lol

 

[Wanted797]

Welcome to America where we blame good technology for the actions of bad people and make those not involved in the crime bear the consequences of those who should face harsh penalties. Blame the product, not the perpetrators and pursue the deep pockets. It's the American way!

This argument is the same used by 2nd amendment advocates.

 

[indychris]

This argument is the same used by 2nd amendment advocates.

 

[MacUser09]

There might come a point where Apple just say "F*** this. Too much trouble" and pull the product.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Let me preface this by saying that what some people are using AirTags for is disgusting and these people should feel the consequences of their ****** behavior.

How this behavior is Apple's fault or why Apple should be liable is not really apparent to me, though.
The fact that a device can be used for criminal purposes doesn't make the manufacturer/designer of the device the criminal (unless the purpose of the device is to commit crimes).

Exactly. By the same logic, all manufacture of guns would be illegal for starters. And kitchen knives. Baseball bats. Neck ties. In fact, if you took it to the logical end, nothing much at all would be legal.