Apple AirTag
A rather dramatic event that recently took place in San Antonio (Texas) involved the Apple AirTag. According to local sources, a man used the tracker to locate his stolen truck and kill the suspected thief. Although he had reported the theft to the police, the man did not wait for the authorities to intervene, but preferred to deal with the matter himself. And so, using the Apple AirtTag, he found the stolen truck in a shopping mall parking lot and, without thinking too much, shot the man suspected of the theft.The alleged thief Andrew John Herrera died "from a gunshot wound to the head," the coroner told local news portal KSAT. The attacker reportedly said he "believed the suspect thief had pulled out a gun which resulted in 'a gunfight'". But the police do not seem to have believed this justification, given that the only signs of a gunfight can be traced back to him. Yet, the man who fired may not face charges of any kind, as under Texas law, one can kill someone for "unlawful interference" with one's property.
Despite this, it is quite clear that the story highlights the improper use that can be made of trackers. On the other hand, already a year after its launch in 2021, the AirTag has received quite a few criticisms due to the use that some stalkers have made of it, using them as a tool to follow and harass their victims. According to police reports, in April 2022 alone, at least 50 women called the authorities after they started receiving notifications that their location was being tracked by an AirTag they did not possess. It was therefore evident that the molesters had left the tracker in the purse or in the women's cars, so as to be able to follow their every movement.
“ It was absurd to launch a new device without having considered its use in a domestic violence situation,” Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said at the time. And perhaps the same is true for the question related to the case of the suspected thief of San Antonio.