Sports Illustrated model stalked with Apple AirTag
Supermodel Brooks Nader says she was stalked by a stranger using an AirTag, who followed her around New York City for five hours.
The 26-year-old said she only realised she was being tracked when her iPhone alerted her to the fact that an “unknown accessory” was moving with her through the city.
The AirTag, which was first released in April 2020, is a coin-shaped device that acts as a key tracker, with users connecting the small device to their smartphone to track lost items.
Despite the AirTag’s innovative technology, there have been numerous reports that the $45 device has been used by stalkers and thieves, to track people and their belongings without their knowing.
Brooks Nader appears to be the latest victim of this tracking, as she shared her terrifying ordeal with her online following of 827,000 people.
“This ‘device’ followed me for the last five hours to every location and (it belonged to) no one in my ‘network.’ It also wasn’t a phone or tablet, it was an ‘item,’” she explained.
The model subsequently shared a screenshot of an AirTag via Instagram Stories: “@Apple, did you take into consideration the danger and potentially fatal consequences this device has?”
She added, “For those asking, it’s not my AirTag, it’s someone randoms, who must have slipped it into my belongings while out. Thank you all for checking in and sending helpful articles. I want this to be a PSA to all my ladies to please please check your belongings.”
According to Apple, they have introduced a system to prevent stalking by notifying people if their smartphone detects an unregistered AirTag in their vicinity.
“AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking,” the tech company states on its website. “If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, your iPhone will notice it’s travelling with you and send you an alert.”
The alert is what tipped Nader off to the fact an AirTag was in her coat pocket.
A spokesperson for Apple told The New York Post, “We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag’s privacy and security. AirTag is designed with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking – a first in the industry – and the Find My network includes a smart, tunable system with deterrents that applies to AirTag, as well as third-party products as part of the Find My Network accessory program.”
Due to the safety concerns of AirTags, several Aussie retailers including Big W, JB Hi-Fi and Officeworks have banned the sale of the devices.
Image credits: Instagram @brooksnader