Apple Faces Wave of Lawsuits Over AirTag Stalking Allegations
Apple is now defending against more than 30 individual lawsuits filed by people who say they were stalked using the company's AirTag tracking devices. The surge follows a federal judge's decision to deny class-action status in an earlier 2022 case, which forced victims to sue separately.
Each complaint accuses Apple of releasing AirTags in 2021 despite knowing the devices could be "purchased and used by abusive, dangerous individuals, to track, coerce, control, and otherwise endanger and abuse innocent victims," according to court documents reviewed by MacRumors.
Internal Documents Show Apple Knew Risks
Attorneys for the plaintiffs cite internal Apple documents from the original lawsuit that acknowledge the company's safeguards "would only deter as opposed to prevent malicious use." The filings also say Apple admitted it "should have consulted domestic abuse organizations on the unwanted tracking policy before shipping."
Between April 2021 and April 2024, Apple received more than 40,000 stalking reports related to AirTags. The lawsuits claim the company's response has been insufficient, pointing to a 4-to-8-hour delay before victims receive a notification that an unknown AirTag is following them.
"Apple revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking," the lawsuits allege. "The company prioritized profit over user safety."
Background
AirTags are small, coin-sized Bluetooth trackers that rely on Apple's vast Find My network to relay location data. While other trackers exist, AirTags benefit from the ubiquity of iPhones, iPads, and Macs to pinpoint a tag's location—even if the tag is not with its owner.
Apple has implemented several anti-stalking features since launch, including cross-platform alerts for Android users and periodic sounds from the tag. However, critics note that the sound can be easily disabled by removing the speaker, and modified "silent" AirTags are sold on eBay and other marketplaces.
In 2022, a proposed class-action lawsuit (Hughes v. Apple) sought to represent all stalking victims. The judge denied class certification due to differences in state laws and the highly individual nature of each stalking incident. The court gave plaintiffs 28 days to file separate suits—a deadline many have now met.
What This Means
The flood of individual lawsuits puts Apple in a legally complex position. Each case will require separate discovery, damage assessments, and potentially different rulings. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and a court order forcing Apple to stop what they call "unlawful business practices."
Legal experts say the outcome could reshape how tech companies design location-tracking devices. "If plaintiffs succeed, Apple may be forced to add real-time alerts, mandatory sound-on functionality, or even cease selling AirTags during the night," said Sarah Jenkins, a privacy law professor at Georgetown University. "The precedent could also impact other trackers like Tile and Samsung SmartTag."
Apple has previously stated that AirTags are designed for finding lost keys or luggage—not for tracking people. The company has updated its anti-stalking policies multiple times, but plaintiffs argue the changes came too late. "We are committed to protecting privacy and safety," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. "We have taken our concerns about unwanted tracking very seriously."
For now, the lawsuits move forward individually. Each plaintiff's story is unique, but they share a common thread: a small, inexpensive device that turned into a tool for harassment, coercion, and in some cases, violence. Multiple news reports cited in the filings link AirTag stalking to murders.
As the legal battle intensifies, Apple faces mounting pressure to prove that its devices don't enable abuse. The company's internal documents already suggest it knew the risks—and that may be the most damning evidence of all.