[ad_1]
Two women have sued Apple in a stalking case. According to the accusers, in fact, the AirTags – small Bluetooth devices the size of a coin used to locate lost devices and objects – were used by the former partners to monitor their movements without consent.
Already at the time of the launch, several privacy activists had warned of the potential risks of AirTag. Mozilla Foundation, which with its initiative Privacy not included analyzes the personal information protection level of different applications, assigned the product a mediocre rating. “[Gli AirTag] sthey seem too easy to use to track a person’s movements without their consent”, write the analysts.
Apple has taken several steps to mitigate the privacy risks associated with AirTags. The little device it makes a sound when away from its owner, so that a potentially stalked person can become aware of its presence. The company also has added new warnings and enhanced communication channels with law enforcement agencies and organizations combating domestic violence. Apple device owners receive a notification when an unrecognized AirTag is “moving with them”. But observers remain wary: AirTags can be modified so as not to play, for example. “If you create an item that is useful for tracking stolen items, you also have created a perfect tool for stalking”, she said BBC Eva Galperin, activist and director of the cybersecurity team of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
In the case of the two women who filed a complaint, the devices had been placed in the fenders of one’s car and in the school backpack of the other’s son. Apple is being sued for marketing products that put users’ safety at risk, especially stalking victims. “While Apple has built safeguards into the AirTag product, these are sadly inadequate and do little, if anything, to warn people in a timely manner if they are being followed“, reads the text of the complaint, reported by Bloomberg. At this time, Apple has not yet responded to a request for comment from the media.
.
[ad_2]
Source link
