According to a new report, some Apple users are receiving phantom anti-stalking alerts from AirTags, likely due to a flaw in the company's security mechanisms.
The error-related alerts differ from actual stalking reports in some characteristics, including the fact that their path on a map appears irregular and nonsensical, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The Phantom AirTag alert maps have a similar pattern: straight red lines emanating from the user's location. If an AirTag were to move (maybe fly?) along these lines, it would drive through the middle of city streets, cross construction sites, and even penetrate walls.
It remains unclear how widespread the bug is. The Wall Street Journal notes that reports have surfaced on Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and other platforms. One person who received a phantom AirTag alert at his home said the notification was scary, but added that the AirTag's movement on the map "looked super weird." He couldn't find any maliciously placed AirTags near his home. When a 24-year-old nonprofit worker received a phantom AirTag alert on her iPhone, she searched her belongings and found none.
AirTags: Apple will integrate additional security mechanisms
When she tried to get the AirTag to play a sound, the Find My app displayed an "AirTag unreachable" message. This situation is similar to that of a family visiting Disney World in early May. They did receive an AirTag anti-stalking alert, but were unable to find a tracker on their person or in their belongings. An Apple spokesperson said the alerts may have been due to the iPhone receiving WiFi signals, which temporarily confused location services. The spokesperson added that other people's AirTags could also cause false alarms in densely populated areas—and it doesn't get much denser than Disney World, of course. There are certainly real cases of stalking through AirTags, so Apple has introduced new mechanisms to increase security. The company is also working on more safeguards to introduce in the future. (Photo by Ink Drop / Bigstockphoto)
