Apple’s AirTag item tracker has become a great way for people to find the keys they lost down the back of the sofa, but it can also be used for more nefarious purposes. Now, an AirTag has been found under the hood of a marked NYPD car.
The vehicle and attached AirTag were discovered in Queens, New York, but nobody knows why it was there or who placed it. The AirTag was found in a plastic baggie under the hood, according to reports.
It’s thought that the AirTag was being used to track the whereabouts of the vehicle, but again, the reasons are unclear at this time.
Unwanted AirTag tracking
Fox News reports that NYPD Chief of Housing Martine Materasso took the opportunity to remind police officers to check their vehicles before and after their shirts to ensure that trackers like AirTags haven’t been planted.
AirTags have previously been used to follow cars prior to thefts, while reports of the trackers being used to stalk women are all too common. Apple has already made changes to the way AirTags and the Find My network functions to help ensure unwanted tracking isn’t as common, but instances like this continue to crop up.
"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 previously said when discussing the issue of AirTags and privacy.
Apple’s AirTag is one of the best Bluetooth trackers you can buy, but unfortunately, that also makes it most likely to be used by people who are up to no good as much as by people looking for their lost wallet.
