Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Faces Dozens of Lawsuits Over AirTag Stalking After Class Action Denied

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster


Apple is facing over 30 lawsuits from people who claim to have been stalked using Apple AirTags. The filings come after an AirTag lawsuit from 2022 (Hughes v. Apple) failed to get class certification.

Second-Generation-AirTag-Feature-Purple.jpg

In each filing, Apple is accused of releasing the AirTag while being aware that it could be "purchased and used by abusive, dangerous individuals, to track, coerce, control, and otherwise endanger and abuse innocent victims."

Further, the lawsuits say that Apple knew adequate safeguards were not in place when the AirTag launched in 2021, and Apple is aware that "AirTags remain a profound risk" to people like the plaintiffs. Apple reportedly received more than 40,000 stalking reports between April 2021 and April 2024, and Apple internal documents sourced from the original lawsuit show the company knew its safeguards would only "deter as opposed to prevent malicious use." The company also acknowledged that it "should have consulted domestic abuse organizations on the unwanted tracking policy before shipping."

Multiple news reports of AirTags being used for stalking are referenced, including cases that ended in murder. The lawsuits claim that AirTags "revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking."

While there are other tracking options on the market, the AirTag uses the Find My network that leverages any nearby device to relay the AirTag's location back to its owner.

Apple has put multiple anti-stalking measures in place, including cross-platform notifications that let potential stalking victims know that an unknown AirTag is following them, but the plaintiffs don't feel that Apple's protections are adequate. The lawsuit cites the 4-to-8-hour delay before a notification is received, and notes that originally, AirTags didn't send a notification to potential stalking victims until 72 hours had passed.

One of the ways an AirTag alerts users to its presence is by playing a sound, but the speaker can be removed. Sellers on sites like eBay even offer modified silent AirTags.

Each lawsuit includes the personal story of the plaintiff involved and all of whom claim to have been stalked using an AirTag. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and an order preventing Apple from engaging in the unlawful business practices alleged in the filings.

The judge overseeing the 2022 AirTag lawsuit denied class certification because of the difference in state laws and the individual nature of each stalking incident. The plaintiffs were advised to file individual lawsuits within 28 days of the class certification denial.

Article Link: Apple Faces Dozens of Lawsuits Over AirTag Stalking After Class Action Denied
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/01/airtag-stalking-lawsuits-apple/
The extent to which some believe themselves entitled to live in a 'bubble wrapped' world, safety-wise, continues to amaze. Hardly any product can be released into the market risk-free. With this level of liability-conscious thinking, the wheel never would've gotten off the ground because bad guys could use it to run over somebody. What next, a class action suit against telescope makers because not enough is done to prevent them being used to spy on people?
 
  • Like
Reactions: CombatCaptured, TruthWatcher412, xander49x and 8 others
Hmm, following this logic, if a store sells a kitchen knife to someone and they use that kitchen knife to injure someone else, then that would make the kitchen knife seller liable? The same of course for guns, forks, slingshots, or better still, sellers of bottles (of anything) which could be used to hit someone on the head... Good luck on that!
 
  • Like
Reactions: celaurie, nostaws, Black_Mage and 11 others
Stanley Fertig said:
Hmm, following this logic, if a store sells a kitchen knife to someone and they use that kitchen knife to injure someone else, then that would make the kitchen knife seller liable? The same of course for guns, forks, slingshots, or better still, sellers of bottles (of anything) which could be used to hit someone on the head... Good luck on that!
Click to expand...
Especially given all the measures  has taken to prevent AirTag stalking.
 
  • Like
Reactions: celaurie and KeithBN
Stanley Fertig said:
Hmm, following this logic, if a store sells a kitchen knife to someone and they use that kitchen knife to injure someone else, then that would make the kitchen knife seller liable? The same of course for guns, forks, slingshots, or better still, sellers of bottles (of anything) which could be used to hit someone on the head... Good luck on that!
Click to expand...

Yup, my thought exactly. I need to remind myself that the world exists in balance... for every sane, wise, smart, considerate person, there's another that isn't. Not everyone can be a reasonable thinker.
 
drrich2 said:
The extent to which some believe themselves entitled to live in a 'bubble wrapped' world, safety-wise, continues to amaze. Hardly any product can be released into the market risk-free. With this level of liability-conscious thinking, the wheel never would've gotten off the ground because bad guys could use it to run over somebody. What next, a class action suit against telescope makers because not enough is done to prevent them being used to spy on people?
Click to expand...
I'll play devil's advocate here. What if the telescope maker created a wireless network using built in hardware in every telescope that links all telescope owners and allows them to be located on maps regardless of whether customers want to opt out or not? Seems harmless for fellow stargazers that want to socialize. But then some owners start stalking and burgling homes of others based on this data. They complain to the telescope company that they are not doing enough to secure the privacy of their customers and the company doesn't take any useful actions to help their customers even after thousands of crimes reported. What should the telescope maker do next?
 
These people need to sod off, any tech can be used for good or bad. Why should this be Apple's fault? It's the person using it for bad intentions that is the problem. What's next, sue companies that make knives because they are used to stab people with?

Should throw all these out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: celaurie
Knives can be used by people to kill other people. Ban knives!
Radeon85 said:
These people need to sod off, any tech can be used for good or bad. Why should this be Apple's fault? It's the person using it for bad intentions that is the problem. What's next, sue companies that make knives because they are used to stab people with?

Should throw all these out.
Click to expand...
Careful, you're typing that on a computer that you COULD use to stalk someone with. Ban computers?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: celaurie
MacRumors said:


Apple is facing over 30 lawsuits from people who claim to have been stalked using Apple AirTags. The filings come after an AirTag lawsuit from 2022 (Hughes v. Apple) failed to get class certification.

Second-Generation-AirTag-Feature-Purple.jpg

In each filing, Apple is accused of releasing the AirTag while being aware that it could be "purchased and used by abusive, dangerous individuals, to track, coerce, control, and otherwise endanger and abuse innocent victims."

Further, the lawsuits say that Apple knew adequate safeguards were not in place when the AirTag launched in 2021, and Apple is aware that "AirTags remain a profound risk" to people like the plaintiffs. Apple reportedly received more than 40,000 stalking reports between April 2021 and April 2024, and Apple internal documents sourced from the original lawsuit show the company knew its safeguards would only "deter as opposed to prevent malicious use." The company also acknowledged that it "should have consulted domestic abuse organizations on the unwanted tracking policy before shipping."

Multiple news reports of AirTags being used for stalking are referenced, including cases that ended in murder. The lawsuits claim that AirTags "revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking."

While there are other tracking options on the market, the AirTag uses the Find My network that leverages any nearby device to relay the AirTag's location back to its owner.

Apple has put multiple anti-stalking measures in place, including cross-platform notifications that let potential stalking victims know that an unknown AirTag is following them, but the plaintiffs don't feel that Apple's protections are adequate. The lawsuit cites the 4-to-8-hour delay before a notification is received, and notes that originally, AirTags didn't send a notification to potential stalking victims until 72 hours had passed.

One of the ways an AirTag alerts users to its presence is by playing a sound, but the speaker can be removed. Sellers on sites like eBay even offer modified silent AirTags.

Each lawsuit includes the personal story of the plaintiff involved and all of whom claim to have been stalked using an AirTag. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and an order preventing Apple from engaging in the unlawful business practices alleged in the filings.

The judge overseeing the 2022 AirTag lawsuit denied class certification because of the difference in state laws and the individual nature of each stalking incident. The plaintiffs were advised to file individual lawsuits within 28 days of the class certification denial.

Article Link: Apple Faces Dozens of Lawsuits Over AirTag Stalking After Class Action Denied
Click to expand...
How can you blame any company for producing a product that end users turn to nefarious deeds?

When issues became apparent, Apple responded and included the ability to detect local AirTags…. None of the produced Chinese equivalents remotely come close. Yet nobody is suing them.

At the other end of the extreme, have these same ambulance chasers thought about suing the likes of Glock, Lockheed or even McDonalds for the ab/mis use of their products?

Gees a break.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back