GHOST IN THE MACHINE

Apple AirTags Falsely Warning People They’re Being Stalked: Report

“It was a shock to my morning,” one recipient of an errant safety alert said. “I thought, ‘Who would want to stalk me? Who would want to hurt me?’”

An apparent glitch in the system has resulted in Apple notifying people that they are being covertly tracked by others using the company’s AirTag devices when they actually aren’t being followed at all, according to The Wall Street Journal. The system is meant to warn iPhone users when someone else’s AirTag is being used to improperly monitor their movements. But some users “have begun receiving alerts, often in the middle of the night, for AirTags that might not be in their path at all,” the outlet reported. “The pop-up alerts have sparked confusion and concern, and have led recipients on wild goose chases.” An Apple spokesman said the problem could be caused by stray WiFi signals. “It was a shock to my morning,” one recipient of an errant safety alert told the Journal. “I thought, ‘Who would want to stalk me? Who would want to hurt me?’”