Since the release of Apple’s AirTag in 2021, several people have testified on social networks that this geolocation object had been placed in their bag or their car to track them. We give you some advice to follow if this happens to you.
” I noticed he was in my car. I started ringing it several times, I heard it, but I couldn’t get my hands on it. ». At the beginning of July, Myriam, 18, gave Numerama her testimony: a few weeks earlier, she had discovered that an AirTag had been installed in her car, and was following her. An illegal practice, as it violates privacy and can be a means of harassing a victim.
Ring an AirTag
If an AirTag is hidden in your belongings and you own an iPhone, as Apple has implemented measures to combat the diversion of its product, you will probably receive a notification on your smartphone. Then, by ringing it, you will be able to search for it more efficiently.
On Android, it’s more complicated, you have to download an application and scan manually, to check that no geolocation object is around you. That could change, as Apple and Google recently teamed up to end this issue.
Tips to follow if someone is tracking you using an AirTag
Once the object has been found, it is important to take the problem seriously. A person who tries to know your movements, your address or your place of work using an AirTag, could very well harm you physically afterwards. So don’t let the situation continue. On Twitter, Matthieu Audibert, a gendarmerie officer, gives the procedure to follow:
- Do not throw the object or remove its battery. The AirTag can constitute proof. In addition, if you are at home and you decide to turn it off, the AirTag will display on the smartphone of the person holding it (potentially your stalker), the last position it transmitted on the Locate Apple. This person could therefore obtain your approximate address.
- Retrieve serial number. To get it, place the top of your iPhone near the white part of the AirTag. A web page will then open with the serial number and the last four digits of the owner’s telephone number, which can be used to identify him if he is a relative. Write down or take a screenshot of this information. The number is also displayed at the battery level, Apple tells you how to locate it here.
- Go to the police station then file a complaint against X. It is illegal to track a person without their consent according to article 226-1 of the Penal Code. You are therefore able to initiate legal proceedings. According to Apple, the authorities can ask them for information as part of a judicial investigation. “ Apple has always been committed to providing the requested information through legally based procedures”, says the company. As Matthieu Audibert writes, “it is possible to trace back to the owner”.
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