S.T.O.P. Demands Apple Halt Sale of AirTags

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Demands Apple Halt Sale of AirTags (New York, NY, 1/26/2022) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, demands Apple, Inc. halt the sale of AirTags, wireless tracking devices first sold by the tech giant last April. The small, light-weight trackers have been discovered by everyone from survivors of intimate partner violence (who are targeted by their abusers) to celebrities targeted by fans. The civil rights group noted that Apple’s safeguards had failed to prevent precisely the sort of stalking it warned about last year. SEE: The Guardian - ‘I was just really scared’: Apple AirTags lead to stalking complaints https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/20/apple-airtags-stalking-complaints-technology CBS - How Apple AirTags are being used to stalk people https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-apple-airtags-are-being-used-to-stalk-people/ “Apple promises us ‘privacy’ and profits from surveillance,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “When survivors and advocates warned Apple that AirTags were dangerous, the company refused to listen. They claimed that their technical fixes would prevent abuse. Today, we see that they’re wrong and that AirTags are being abused in exactly the way we feared. There is no software upgrade to stop stalkers. The only solution is for Apple to stop selling stalkerware.” Last May, S.T.O.P. raised concerns about AirTags and Apple’s creation of a global tracking network. In November, the civil rights group released a report detailing the location tracking dangers of ultra-wideband technology, including Apple AirTags and similar devices like Amazon Tiles. SEE: Wired - Apple’s AirTags Are a Gift to Stalkers https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-apples-air-tags-are-a-gift-to-stalkers/ S.T.O.P. – Scarily Precise: Location Tracking with Ultra-Wideband https://www.stopspying.org/scarilyprecise The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. -- END -- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn   Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.