Apple Faces Dozens of New Lawsuits Over AirTag "Tracking" Controversy
Following the rejection of a class-action lawsuit, Apple is facing individual lawsuits from over 30 plaintiffs who claim they were tracked, harassed, or even had their safety threatened using AirTags. These new cases were filed after a judge denied class-action status to the 2022 "AirTag Tracking" case (Hughes v. Apple), with plaintiffs filing individual suits within 28 days as advised by the court.
In each complaint, plaintiffs accuse Apple of launching the product despite knowing AirTags could be purchased by "abusers and dangerous individuals" and used to track, coerce, and control, thereby endangering and harming innocent victims. The lawsuits allege that Apple was aware existing safety measures were insufficient as early as 2021 when AirTags were launched, yet still chose to release the product. According to internal documents from the original lawsuit, Apple reportedly received over 40,000 tracking-related reports between April 2021 and April 2024, and internally acknowledged that related mechanisms could only "deter, not truly prevent, malicious use." Apple also stated in the documents that it "should have consulted domestic violence organizations beforehand" before launching its unwanted tracking prevention strategy.
Numerous news reports detailing incidents of AirTags being used for tracking are included in the complaints, including extreme cases that ultimately led to the victim's death. The plaintiffs' legal team argues that AirTags "fundamentally changed the scope, breadth, and convenience of location tracking, making it easier to carry out stalking." While other locating accessories are available, AirTags leverage Apple’s “Find My” network: any nearby Apple device can act as a relay node, sending the AirTag’s location information back to the owner, resulting in significantly greater coverage and accuracy than traditional products.
In response to the controversy, Apple has rolled out several anti-tracking features over the past few years, including cross-platform safety alerts: when the system detects a foreign AirTag traveling with a user for an extended period, it sends a notification to potential victims, including support for Android users. However, plaintiffs argue that these protections are insufficient, particularly due to ongoing issues with notification delays. The lawsuits point out that the system currently generally takes 4 to 8 hours to push reminders to potential victims, and this time window was even as long as 72 hours when AirTags first launched.
Another way AirTags issue alerts is by proactively playing a sound to alert those nearby, but this mechanism also has loopholes. The lawsuits mention that the AirTag’s built-in speaker can be physically removed, and sellers on secondhand trading platforms even offer “silenced modified AirTags,” rendering the sound alert ineffective.
Each new lawsuit includes the individual experiences of the plaintiffs, all of whom claim they were tracked by AirTags without their knowledge, and some experienced prolonged fear and mental stress before discovering the devices. These cases generally seek a court order requiring Apple to pay damages, including compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees, and an injunction prohibiting Apple from continuing the "illegal business practices" alleged in the complaints.
In the original 2022 case, which was denied class-action status, the judge reasoned that due to significant differences in state laws, coupled with the highly individualized nature of each tracking incident and its impact, it was not appropriate to hear the cases as a nationwide class action. Therefore, plaintiffs were advised to file individual lawsuits instead, directly leading to the current situation where a large number of cases, all pointing to the same product safety concerns, are proceeding simultaneously.