It started out as a fun night out but took a turn in the wrong direction.
A Fredericton woman, whom Global News agreed to keep anonymous to protect her privacy, said she came home from Klub Khrome Friday night to discover that someone had put an Apple AirTag in her purse while she was out with a group of people.
“Especially in a small town like Fredericton, you don’t think that these things happen, but they do,” the woman said.
She said she had seen a man reach inside her purse at the club that night and confronted him, assuming he had stolen something. He denied taking anything from her purse.
“I never thought someone would … add something to my bag,” she said. “I thought something was taken.”
When she got home later that night, the woman dumped out her purse to confirm that nothing had been taken. That’s when she noticed the AirTag.
“Honestly, I was almost — I don’t know if gaslighting is the right word — but kind of gaslighting myself. ‘Like, do I own an AirTag?'” she said.
“I was just so shocked.”
Apple AirTags are about the size of a quarter and are intended to track items like keys, electronics, luggage and other belongings. Using Bluetooth technology, AirTags notify users of the location and movement of the device.
But in recent years, people have brought up safety concerns about the technology. Apple is currently facing a class-action lawsuit in California, alleging that stalkers are using the devices to track victims.
The issue also extends to Canada: in 2023, a woman in B.C. was stalked using an Apple AirTag and later killed. And later that year, police in Ontario arrested a man for using an AirTag to track an unidentified person.
After discovering the AirTag, the Fredericton woman said she “completely panicked,” and her boyfriend threw it outside. By the time they realized the police could use it, a snowstorm had covered it over.
“We just wanted it out of our place,” she said.
The Fredericton Police Service confirmed it received a report about a tracking device over the weekend but declined an interview as the investigation is in its early stages.
The woman said the situation has her concerned for her safety. The thought of the man knowing where she lives left her feeling “uncomfortable and worried.”
“I’m someone who has to walk to and from work,” she said. “I feel like I just need to be a bit more careful with my surroundings and also maybe take some precautions.”
She noted that her boyfriend showed up shortly after the incident with the man and her purse, and she felt that he may have helped deter the situation from escalating further.
“I was lucky for something not to come out of this, but some people may not be as lucky,” she said.
A representative at Klub Khrome declined an interview with Global News but said it was co-operating with police and making staff aware of the situation.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Apple shared a support article that said iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users will receive a notification on their device “if any AirTag, AirPods, or other Find My network accessory separated from its owner is seen moving with you over time.”
Android users can also download the Tracker Detect app to receive a notification about an unwanted tracker.
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” Apple said in a 2022 statement.
“Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag.”
‘People need to be aware’
Cybersecurity expert David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Security, said Apple AirTags are a popular item “but are also becoming increasingly abused to track individuals without their consent.”
It’s as easy as slipping an AirTag into a purse or car, he said — and people often don’t discover they’re being tracked until it’s “too late,” when their location has already been compromised.
Shipley said new offences need to be added to the Criminal Code that address abusing technological devices that violate people’s privacy and safety.
“AirTags did not invent the ‘stalking art’ of connected devices and GPS trackers. That has been going on for a long time. It’s just made it $29 away from being caught,” he said.
“I don’t believe we’ll solve this problem technologically and I don’t think we can put this back in Pandora’s Box. The technology is too popular, Apple’s not the only manufacturer of these types of tracking devices…. It’s not going away.”
Shipley said people need to know about the dangers of tracking devices.
“People need to be aware — and unfortunately, particularly women and other vulnerable persons need to be aware — this can and does happen,” Shipley said.
The Fredericton woman agreed that awareness is key.
She said she’s speaking out to warn others — though she said it’s disappointing that this is yet another thing that women need to consider when they go out for the night.
“When you go to bars, if you don’t have to bring a purse, don’t bring one at all. Check your jackets, hide your drinks, keep your drinks with you,” she said.
“It’s sad that this is a reality, and it’s just another thing that we have to worry about, but unfortunately it is.”