Global Courant 2023-05-01 06:38:50
The New York City government plans to hand out free Apple AirTags in an effort to deter car thefts, Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday.
Mayor Adams said a local nonprofit has donated 500 AirTags that will be distributed to car owners in the city. Apple AirTags are GPS tracking devices that can be attached to personal belongings to track them.
“The increasing number of major car thefts continues to drive up crime in our city,” Adams explained to a press release. “This simple device, this simple AirTag, hidden in a car location that a person is not aware of, is an excellent tracking device,”
“It’s easy to monitor. You can see where the vehicle is in real time,” the mayor added.
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Someone has an Apple AirTag in San Francisco, March 14, 2022. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Adams explained that the 500 AirTags will be handed out by police, including in the crime-ridden 43rd Precinct in the Bronx.
“We’re going to hand them out in this district, which is really popular with grand theft cars,” Adams said at the press conference, which was held in the Castle Hill neighborhood.
While Apple AirTags can help car owners keep tabs on their vehicles, the devices have been used in malicious ways in the past. Ohio state lawmakers concerned about stalking recently expressed interest in banning them.
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NEW YORK, USA – APRIL 03: New York Mayor Eric Adams (C) and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Keechant Sewell (L) make a public safety related announcement ahead of the arrival of former US President Donald Trump before a court hearing in New York, United States on April 3, 2023. ((Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))
“Obviously, technology can be great for convenience, for security, but it can also be dangerous, and that’s what we’re seeing with these tracking devices,” said Republican Sen. Nathan Manning.
In January, an AirTag was found under the hood of a flagged NYPD vehicle. The discovery prompted NYPD chief of housing Martine Materasso to remind the entire department to be wary of their vehicles in the face of anti-police sentiment.
Apple condemned the misuse of AirTags in a statement in February.
NYPD car is seen in New York City, United States on October 22, 2022. ((Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images))
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“AirTag is designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not track people or other people’s property, and we condemn in the strongest terms any malicious use of our products,” Apple wrote. “Unwanted tracking has long been a social issue and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag.”
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.