A St Andrews University student has spoken of her shock at being secretly tracked on a night out by an Apple AirTag someone planted on her.
First-year student Daisy Finefrock was with friends in the Fife town when she received a notification on her phone that an AirTag she didn’t own appeared to be moving with her.
The small discs let users keep track of commonly misplaced personal items like their keys, wallet, purse, backpack or luggage.
But there are fears the devices put people at risk, aiding stalkers or other criminals looking to track their victims through a practice known as “air tagging”.
Across the world, several incidents have been reported where women have found the easily hidden trackers or received notifications that an AirTag they do not own is ‘moving’ with them and reporting their exact location.
Daisy believes the device was slipped into a pocket while she was at a local bar in St Andrews and her coat and purse were hanging from the back of her chair.
She received a notification on her iPhone at 11:30pm which showed the tracking device had been with her since 7.18pm.
Daisy, who is studying English and Modern History at the university, said: “I was stunned because Apple hadn’t notified me that I had been tracked for four hours until it was nearing the end of my night out.
“I was frightened because I know other girls who have experienced this same thing in St Andrews and I never would’ve expected I would face the same threat.
“I was very concerned when I went to the bathroom and saw the notification, my friend and I frantically searched through all of my belongings and clothing.”
Whoever owned the AirTag would have been able to follow Daisy’s movements with precise detail for over four hours without her knowledge.
AirTags cannot be disconnected
Daisy has been in touch with the police and it’s understood officers are due to speak to her this week to learn more.
The concerned student says that Apple should provide a way for the tags to be disconnected in case people can’t find where they have been planted.
“It’s making stalking so much more accessible which terrifies me,” she said.
“Apple should have an immediate way to disconnect the AirTag even if you’re unable to find the device right away.”
Apple, in a statement published following concerns about “air tagging”, said it was working with law enforcement where it was identified the tags were being misused by criminals.
Apple ‘working with law enforcement’
They said: “We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we’ve received.
“Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many.
“Every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID.
“Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement.
The technology of AirTags isn’t new, but Apple’s devices are relatively inexpensive and easy to get a hold of, so they’ve really become popular
Janis Wong
“We have successfully partnered with them on cases where information we provided has been used to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator, who was then apprehended and charged.”
Police Scotland did not respond to questions about the training offered to call handlers and police officers about AirTags.
Janis Wong, a PhD student at St Andrews University who researches technology, data privacy and ethics, said more cases of “airtagging” were being reported.
“The technology of AirTags isn’t new, but Apple’s devices are relatively inexpensive and easy to get a hold of, so they’ve really become popular.
“I think one thing to bear in mind is that just because AirTags exist and people use them for malicious purposes, it doesn’t mean stalking is happening more often. It just makes it easier,” Janis said.
