A woman has urged her followers to check their bags after finding an AirTag device that didn't belong to her at the bottom of her handbag.
TikTok user Molly (@molly32320) was visibly distraught when she told viewers that she had pulled the tracking device from her back, admitting she had no idea how long it had been there for. Watch the video here:
Apple's AirTag is a small round device that is designed to help users keep track of items like their keys, bags, wallets.
By sending out a Bluetooth signal to nearby devices in the Find My network, your AirTag will send its location to iCloud, which will then appear on a map on the Find My app.
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Detailing the harrowing experience, Molly told her TikTok followers that she had been looking for her vape in her handbag when she came across the unfamiliar device.
She asked: "Do any of you know what it is? It's quite small. I've literally been to the shops and back and that was it. I don't understand. Who the hell has put this here?"
After viewers took to the comments to warn her that Apple AirTags are essentially location tracking devices, Molly made a follow-up video.
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"Someone could know where I am right now," she said. "I didn't even know these were a thing. I'm really scared now."
Unsure how long she had had the device in her bag, she added: "This bag is the one I take to work... so if someone's placed it there, they might know where my work is. It could be at my mum's house, it could be at my nan's house."
In a final video, Molly shared that she had decided to dump the Apple device and warned her viewers: "Girls if you're listening or this has happened to you before, just be careful. If you ever see one of these AirTags in your bag, be careful."
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Providing further insight into the potential dangers of AirTags, Digital Privacy Expert Danka Delic at ProPrivacy told Tyla: "AirTags enable highly accurate, short-term surveillance in a very light and easy to hide package at a relatively low cost.
"Couple this with the fact that they only need Bluetooth to communicate with other nearby Apple devices means that they are highly effective in densely populated and moderately wealthy locations.
"Should an unknown AirTag be in your handbag, and you're running iOS 14.5, you'll be informed of the device's proximity.
" You can then scan the device and follow the steps to cease all tracking. Android users can also use an app called Tracker Detect that allows them to scan for an AirTag nearby."
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Apple has disputed claims that AirTags could be used as unsolicited tracking devices.
On its website, the company claims: "AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking. If someone else’s AirTag finds its way into your stuff, your iPhone will notice it’s travelling with you and send you an alert. After a while, if you still haven’t found it, the AirTag will start playing a sound to let you know it’s there."
When approached for a comment, a spokesperson for Apple stated: "We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we’ve received. Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare."
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In addition, Apple plan on making a number of additional steps this year to prevent unwanted tracking, including "precision finding, display alert with sound, refining unwanted tracking alert logic, and adjusting the tone sequence to use more of the loudest tones to make an unknown AirTag more easily findable."
Topics: Technology, Apple
Ali Condon