An Unknown Device is With You

In late September of 2021, multiple women came to social media bringing tales of a new creepy phenomenon involving Apple’s newest product, the Apple Airtag, claiming these unknown devices were with them for hours until they noticed. 

 

The Airtag is the newest Apple invention; priced at $29 a piece, it is designed to be a small tracker that can stick on anything, or anyone. The Airtag is white and cylindrical in structure, its size rivaling that of a quarter. 

 

These Airtags have a variety of functions to make the airtag safer, including emitting loud sounds, similar to the lost Airpods sound. They also send out a signal or notification to the nearest Apple phone. The notification, however, may take anywhere from 1 to 7 hours to actually send out. 

 

Another nuance to the safety mechanics installed is that many people buy and sell jailbroken airtags that have the sirens removed from the device altogether. All Airtags send digital pings to the phone it’s registered under, allowing someone to see exactly when and where the airtag has been. The Airtag can only be turned off by the registered owner.  If you find one, however, don’t throw it away! The Apple Airtag has a serial number on the back of it, which can help locate who bought the airtag should it not be jailbroken.

With these jailbroken Airtags especially, many people have been tagging women or expensive cars. The New York Times did an interview with one of these victims, Ashley Estrada. Estrada did not own an Airtag, but her friend’s phone was notified that an “unknown device” was found with them. When Estrada clicked on the notification, she could see every location she had been to run those errands–she had been tagged for hours.

 

Many other people, including a 17-year-old, had also reported being tracked without knowing. The general population took to social media to discuss their theories of what the tagging may hint to. Some believe it’s the newest way to traffick people, others believe that these “Airtag Stalkers” tag high-end cars to eventually steal them.

 

Whichever reason it may be, from those two main topics of discourse or others, we as the WSHS Valkyrie urge you to stay vigilant and take note of any weird signs that may suggest you too have an unknown device with you.