“Not sure how this does anything other than put the onus on the user,” on Twitter user wrote of Apple’s new safety guide.
While Apple (AAPL) – Get Apple Inc. Report‘s new safety guide aims to curb “technology-enabled abuse, stalking, or harassment,” some users are pointing out that it might not be enough in the face of rising AirTag concerns.
On Wednesday, the tech giant posted its Personal Safety User Guide to guide users concerned over data sharing or external access to personal information. Not a drastic change from past safety guides, the new version shows users how to stop unknown sign-in attempts and “review and take action” if a breach is suspected.
What Brought This On?
That said, a major new inclusion is a “Stay safe with AirTag and other Find My accessories” section that comes at a time when many have spoken out about how the new AirTags could be hijacked by bad actors and used to facilitate stalking.
While the Apple tracking product was designed to help find frequently lost items, many reported it being planted in coats and purses to stalk women as well as cars that would later end up stolen. The inexpensive price ($29.99 for one and $99 for a four-pack) also makes it an easy thing for those with bad intentions to buy and then dispose of.
“not my phone telling me that someone put an airtag on me for the past three hours but not letting me turn it off make it make sense,” model Cindy Kimberly wrote two days after the guide came out. Earlier this month, Sports Illustrated model also reported being tracked for hours through a planted AirTag.
In the guide, Apple recommends taking reporting suspected ill-use to the police as the serial number makes it easy to identify who is the owner. The guide also points to ways you can report found AirTags or set a message that marks an AirTag as lost and belonging to someone else for whoever has it.
“If you think someone is using an AirTag or another item tracker to track your location, you can scan to try to find it,” the guide reads.
Is That Enough, Though?
The new safety guide has not been going over great on social media, were many questioned whether the obvious suggestion of “going to law enforcement” is enough of a response to a growing problem.
“Not sure how this does anything other than put the onus on the user,” writes a professor going under the Twitter name @hypervisible.
“@Apple’s ‘Personal Safety Guide’ reeks of big pharma’s “blame the addict” strategy: shifting blame to distract from the responsible thing to do which is not sell an easily abused product in the first place,” museum curator John Kannenberg wrote on Twitter.
