Back in February, 3News reported on an incident involving an Akron woman whose car was being tracked by AirTag. At the time, it was the AirTag’s siren that startled her and eventually led her to seek help from Akron police. After examining her car, police found an AirTag – likely placed by an ex-boyfriend – in the rear bumper of her car.
Through its investigation, 3News found that in Ohio, those with no prior patterns of stalking or domestic violence were at risk of getting away with AirTag stalking. ShouldtelevisionThe station then conducted an analysis and found that at least 19 states have laws against electronic tracking. But Ohio State is not one of them.
To change that, 3News has been advocating for bipartisan legislation to ensure people are protected from unwanted tracking. It lobbied local lawmakers in both houses of the Ohio Legislature and gained support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Now, both parties have announced a new bill — HB672 — in the Ohio House of Representatives. It would generally prohibit a person from knowingly installing a tracking device or app on someone else’s property without the other person’s consent.
Pennsylvania is also working to address the issue within its state, introducing legislation to criminalize the misuse of AirTags.
Apple has also been working to improve its anti-tracking measures for AirTags. With a recent update, the company relayed a privacy warning for those setting up new AirTags. Also, when an unknown AirTag appears among people, a new firmware update will sound so people can find it more easily.
