Photo: Apple
A Waterbury man was arrested this past weekend after he planted an Apple AirTag inside someone’s car in an attempt to monitor the location of the vehicle.
Described as a “domestic incident,” the case led to the 27-year-old getting charged with first-degree stalking and violation of a protective order, as well as misdemeanor breach of peace.
While the local media has so far provided limited information on the incident, it looks like Wilfred Gonzalez wanted to track someone’s location with the help of an Apple AirTag. The device was hidden inside the car, but it’s not clear how the victim and the police ended up finding it.
Apple’s AirTag is a device whose purpose is to make it easier for users to keep track of their belongings. It comes with a built-in battery and helps communicate with nearby iPhones to send its location in real-time to the owner.
However, AirTags can also send notifications to nearby iPhones as a privacy measure, specifically because the device could end up being used for all kinds of nefarious purposes, such as stalking. Apple has also released an Android app, therefore giving users of Google’s mobile operating system the necessary tools to find out if they’re being tracked or not.
Most likely, the victim, in this case, received a notification on their smartphone and then alerted the police. Law enforcement then discovered the AirTag in the car and identified its owner.
In theory, finding the owner of an AirTag is totally doable if the police reach out to Apple with either the device itself or its serial number. Each AirTag is linked with an Apple ID, and the Cupertino-based iPhone maker can use such information to figure out who purchased the tracker.
The number of stalking cases involving AirTags, however, has skyrocketed lately, and Apple recommends users to call the police whenever they are notified they’re being tracked and believe they are in danger.
While the local media has so far provided limited information on the incident, it looks like Wilfred Gonzalez wanted to track someone’s location with the help of an Apple AirTag. The device was hidden inside the car, but it’s not clear how the victim and the police ended up finding it.
Apple’s AirTag is a device whose purpose is to make it easier for users to keep track of their belongings. It comes with a built-in battery and helps communicate with nearby iPhones to send its location in real-time to the owner.
However, AirTags can also send notifications to nearby iPhones as a privacy measure, specifically because the device could end up being used for all kinds of nefarious purposes, such as stalking. Apple has also released an Android app, therefore giving users of Google’s mobile operating system the necessary tools to find out if they’re being tracked or not.
Most likely, the victim, in this case, received a notification on their smartphone and then alerted the police. Law enforcement then discovered the AirTag in the car and identified its owner.
In theory, finding the owner of an AirTag is totally doable if the police reach out to Apple with either the device itself or its serial number. Each AirTag is linked with an Apple ID, and the Cupertino-based iPhone maker can use such information to figure out who purchased the tracker.
The number of stalking cases involving AirTags, however, has skyrocketed lately, and Apple recommends users to call the police whenever they are notified they’re being tracked and believe they are in danger.
Google News