Global Courant 2023-04-28 00:50:44
Ohio lawmakers want to criminalize the use of Apple AirTags and other tracking devices used for stalking.
A Senate committee on Tuesday passed a bill that would ban the use of AirTags or other tracking devices to track an individual or their property without permission.
One of the bill’s sponsors, Republican Senator Nathan Manning, said there have been several recent cases of tracking devices being used to stalk someone else.
“Obviously, technology can be great for convenience, for safety, but it can also be dangerous, and that’s what we’re seeing with these tracking devices,” Manning told other lawmakers.
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An Apple AirTag device during the Spring Loaded virtual product launch in Tiskilwa, Illinois, USA, on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. Apple Inc. with competitors including Tile Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The bill failed to receive support at the 2022 Ohio General Assembly, but would create a criminal offense for using a tracking device, such as as AirTagto stalk a person.
Democrat Senator Nickie Antonio said it’s very easy to use the little device to track someone’s whereabouts.
“You can see how easy it is to just put it in someone’s pocket or purse or other items of clothing without them knowing,” Antonio said.
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Someone has an Apple AirTag in San Francisco, March 14, 2022. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Attorney General Dave Yost supports the bill, testifying to lawmakers in 2022 that people are using AirTags for “nefarious purposes.”
“Because prosecuting a stalking charge usually requires exhibiting a pattern of behavior, tagging a vehicle without the owner’s consent can prove to be a difficult business under current laws,” Yost added.
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Under Senate Bill 100, people convicted could face a $1,000 fine or up to six months in prison.
An Apple spokesperson previously alerted Fox News Digital to a recent update, stating that it is working with law enforcement to track down AirTags being used for criminal purposes.
“AirTag is designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or other people’s property, and we condemn in the strongest terms any malicious use of our products. Unwanted tracking has long been a social problem and we have care taken seriously in AirTag’s design, which is why the Find My network was built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption, and innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you to unwanted tracking We hope this starts an industry trend for others to provide these types of proactive alerts in their products as well,” the spokesperson said.
Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.
