A New Brunswick woman discovered a GPS tracking device in her purse after an evening out at a bar, and she's calling on her colleagues to be vigilant as the practice spreads across the country.
“When you go to bars, if you don't have to bring a wallet, don't bring one. Check your jackets, and keep your drinks with you. It's sad that this is a reality, but it's just another thing we have to fear.”
Last Friday, the woman from Fredericton, in the neighboring province of Quebec, was enjoying an evening at a chrome club when she allegedly caught a stranger with his hand in his bag. Assuming he was trying to rob her, she was going to confront him before continuing her evening.
She only emptied her bag once in the house to see if the person had managed to take anything. Instead, she discovered the Apple AirTag, a small, quarter-sized device designed to track her personal items.
“I felt absolutely terrified,” she told English-language media, and she and her friend rushed to throw the device as far as they could out the window.
“I'm someone who has to walk to and from work. I feel like I just need to be a little more careful.” […]”I was lucky that nothing happened, but some people may not be so lucky,” she continued.
If Apple had denounced the malicious use of its product in 2022, cases of criminal harassment would have doubled: In 2023 alone, a woman in British Columbia would have been killed after being tracked with an AirTag, and a man in Ontario would have been arrested for trying to follow someone else, according to Global News .
The tech giant is also reportedly facing a class-action lawsuit in California, alleging that it offered harassers a cheap tool, priced at just $29, on a silver platter.
According to cybersecurity expert David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Sécurité, it may be too late to put the technology back “into Pandora's box”, but he insisted the law would need to tighten the screws on those who violate privacy and security. English-language media.
“Above all, people should be aware – and unfortunately, women and other vulnerable people in particular should be aware – that this can and does happen,” he added.
