INDIANAPOLIS – Tracking devices like Apple AirTags are a great way to find your lost wallet, keys, or even your child’s backpack.
But thanks to a public records request, WRTV Investigates discovered that trackers are also used for a more sinister purpose: to track people.
WRTV Investigates looked at what you can do to find out if someone is following you.
‘It was terrifying’: Bullying victim describes fear
Dawn Hillyer of Kendallville was tormented for six years by a stalker.
“He came like a freight train,” Hillyer said. “It was constant. Coming, following, coming after me and my family and everyone around me.”
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Hillyer said her stalker always seemed to know where she was.
“Police found a small GPS in the back of my car,” Hillyer said. “I had no idea it was there. It was terrifying and life changing.”
The Hillyer stalker was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012.
Since then, tracking technology has advanced dramatically with products like Tile and Apple AirTags, which aren’t much bigger than a quarter and cost around $30 each.
Photo provided/Apple
They can help you find lost items like keys, wallets, purses, backpacks, and luggage.
Police reports show incidents in central Indiana
WRTV Investigates filed public records requests with the Central Indiana Police Department, and we found a dozen reports involving unwanted tracking.
In Kokomo, a woman told police her ex-fiancé used Find My iPhone to track her location.
A Noblesville woman told officers someone put an Apple AirTag on her car and she believed her ex-husband was responsible.
Greenfield Police received three reports from people fearing an AirTag was following them.
Photo provided/Apple
In Lawrence, police recovered GPS devices from a woman’s car after she reported her ex following her.
Westfield Police provided a report showing a woman called police after receiving an alert on her phone that an AirTag was nearby.
‘Soft-spoken’ man killed after being tracked with AirTag, prosecutors say
In Indianapolis, Marion County prosecutors said Andre Smith’s ex-girlfriend used an Apple AirTag to track Smith to Tilly’s Pub.
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“It’s mind-boggling and scary,” said Reneka Day, André Smith’s aunt. “He was 26 years old. Very humble and soft-spoken.
Court records allege Smith’s ex-girlfriend ran him over with her car in the parking lot of Tilly’s Pub, killing him.
“She shouldn’t have been able to find him at all,” Day said. “They need to do something about it, because it’s causing more crime than it’s helping the public.”
Day said Apple AirTags and other tracking devices should not be on sale to the general public.
“If you’re using it for law enforcement or medical purposes, yes, but it shouldn’t be available on Amazon for the public to buy and use,” Day said.
iPhone notification system test
In a statement, Apple stressed that its AirTags should not be used to track people.
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their belongings, not to track the people or property of others, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any misuse of our products,” the statement said. ‘Apple. “Unwanted tracking has long been a social issue, and we took this concern seriously when designing AirTag. That’s why the Find My network is built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption tip and why we innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you to unwanted tracking.
Photo provided/Apple
WRTV Investigates decided to put Apple’s alert system to the test.
We spent $100 on a four-pack of AirTags and found four WRTV employees who agreed to be tracked.
When WRTV activated the AirTag, we received a message reminding us that “AirTag is only intended to track items that belong to you. Using AirTag to track people without their consent is a crime in many parts of the world. »
We followed Rachael, Andrew, Katie and Brittany as they worked and rode.
Five hours after placing the device, Rachael received an alert on her iPhone that an AirTag was nearby, but she didn’t receive the alert until after she got home.
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The same thing happened to Katie, who received a notification at home after six hours of follow-up.
Andrew’s iPhone didn’t notify him until 24 hours later.
Brittany’s Android phone didn’t notify her of the AirTag until she downloaded the “Tracker Detect” app.
Once they received alerts, our WRTV employees could press “Play Sound”.
This allows you to find the AirTag and notify the police, if necessary.
An iPhone running iOS 14.5 or later can recognize if an AirTag is traveling with you over time and will send you a proactive alert when you arrive home, as set in your Contacts “Me” card, or your iPhone will recognize that you are at home. about your travel habits.
Apple says you should always be alerted at the end of the day, even if you’re away from home.
‘We see phones as tracking devices’: Domestic violence shelter steps in
Sheltering Wings in Danville is the second largest domestic violence shelter in the state, housing 50 men, women and children.
Program director Jenny Kinnaman said she aims to track tracking technology to protect her residents from unwanted tracking.
“What we’re really seeing is phones as a tracking device,” Kinnaman said. “It can be as simple as Find My iPhone.”
The shelter helps victims stop unwanted tracking, including turning off location services on their phones.
“Once they’re in a safe place, we also don’t want their devices tracking them so they can’t be found,” Kinnaman said. “We have people coming in with four phones because none of them are safe. They’ve all been compromised at some point.
The shelter can also help victims get a new phone that is unrelated to their abuser.
“It’s part of our service that we can provide and help people regain their sense of security,” Kinnaman said.
Protect yourself from unwanted tracking
Harassment victim Dawn Hillyer has returned to security.
She started her own business, Hiding Hilda, which sells concealed handbags and teaches self-defense.
Hillyer disables location services on his phone, which you can also do if you’re worried about being tracked.
“You gotta be careful,” Hillyer said. “It’s scary. It’s a scary world.”
The national domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
Apple says it has made improvements to AirTags
Tile did not respond to WRTV’s request for comment.
However, the tracking device company released its own anti-harassment update to its mobile app earlier this year.
An Apple spokesperson confirmed to WRTV that they have made the following updates:
- New privacy warnings when setting up AirTag: Every user setting up their AirTag for the first time will see a clear message that AirTag is intended to track their own belongings, that using AirTag to track people without their consent is a crime in many parts of the world. world, that the AirTag is designed to be detected by victims and that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag.
- Troubleshooting alert issues for AirPods: Apple has heard from users who reported receiving an “Unknown Accessory Detected” alert. Apple has confirmed that this alert will not appear if an AirTag is detected near you – only AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, or a third-party Find My network accessory. In the same software update, Apple will update the alert users receive to indicate the AirPods traveled with them instead of an “unknown accessory.”
- Updated support documentation: Apple has updated its spam tracking support article[support.apple.com] on apple.com [apple.com] to communicate security features built into AirTag, AirPods, and Find My Network accessories. This page now includes additional explanations of Find My accessories that may trigger an unwanted tracking alert, more visuals to provide specific examples of such alerts, and updated information on what to do after receiving an alert , including instructions for deactivating an AirTag, AirPods, or Find My Network Accessory.
- AirTag Sound Tuning: Apple has adjusted the tone sequence to make more use of the loudest tones to make an unknown AirTag easier to find.
More information from Apple on preventing unwanted tracking
If an AirTag, AirPods, or other Find My network accessory separated from its owner is seen moving with you over time, you will be notified in one of two ways. These features were created specifically to discourage people from trying to track you without your knowledge.
- If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Find My will send a notification to your Apple device. This feature is available on iOS or iPadOS 14.5 or later. To receive alerts, make sure you:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and enable Location Services.
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. Enable Find My iPhone.
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. Enable significant locations to be notified when you arrive at a significant location, such as your home.
- Go to Settings > Bluetooth and enable Bluetooth.
- Go to the Find My app, tap the Me tab and turn on tracking notifications.
- Disable airplane mode. If your device is in airplane mode, you will not receive tracking notifications.
- If you don’t have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, an AirTag that isn’t with its owner for a while will make a sound when moved. This type of notification is not supported with AirPods.
For more information on how to prevent unwanted tracking with AirTags, click here.
