S.T.O.P. Warns Apple AirTag Safety Updates Fall Short, Renews Call To Halt Sales

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Warns Apple AirTag Safety Updates Fall Short, Renews Call To Halt Sales (New York, NY, 2/10/2022) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, warns that Apple, Inc.’s plans to improve AirTag safeguards fall short of preventing their use for stalking. Apple’s new safeguards include faster and louder alerts about unwanted tracking devices that will be launched “later this year.” The civil rights group noted that Apple’s planned updates are only relevant to iPhone users and are most effective for owners of the most recent iPhones, leaving Android users and those without smartphones vulnerable. S.T.O.P. renewed its call on Apple, Inc. to fully discontinue sales of Apple AirTags. SEE: The Verge - Apple says it will make unknown AirTags alert you sooner https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/10/22927374/apple-airtag-safety-update-stalking “We can’t wait until ‘later this year’ for Apple to improve the safety of Apple AirTags,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Apple must respond to intimate partner violence and stalking more urgently. These new safeguards will only make a small difference for Apple users, and they do nothing at all for everyone else. The only solution is for Apple to halt all AirTag sales.” SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Demands Apple Halt Sale of AirTags https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/1/26/stop-demands-apple-halt-sale-of-airtags WJXT – Explaining Apple AirTags https://www.news4jax.com/video/news/morning-show/2022/02/04/explaining-apple-airtags/ 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.