Apple to face lawsuit claiming Eartags are stalkers’ weapons, US court rules

Apple Inc. A bid to dismiss a lawsuit alleging this was lost. Air tag The devices help hunters locate their prey. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco ruled Friday that three plaintiffs in the class-action suit made sufficient claims for negligence and product liability, though he dismissed the others.

The nearly three dozen women and men who filed the lawsuit allege that Apple was warned about the dangers of its AirTags and argue that the company can be legally blamed under California law when Tracking devices are used for misconduct.

In the three surviving claims, the plaintiffs “allege that, when pursued, there were substantial problems with the AirTag’s safety features, and that the safety defects caused their injuries,” Chhabria wrote. wrote

Apple had argued that it designed the AirTag with “industry first” security measures and should not be held liable when the product is misused.

“Apple may ultimately be correct that California law did not require it to do more to reduce the ability of stalkers to effectively use ear tags, but that decision cannot be made at this early stage. Can,” the judge wrote, allowing the three plaintiffs to follow suit. Claims

A company spokesperson did not immediately return an email requesting comment on the decision.

Apple has been accused of negligently releasing the AirTag despite warnings from advocacy groups and others that the product would be repurposed for surveillance. “With a price tag of only $29 it has become the weapon of choice for predators and abusers,” according to the complaint.

Apple has developed a feature that alerts users when an AirTag is tracking them, but that and other security measures aren’t enough, according to the suit.

Tile Inc. faces similar allegations that Amazon.com Inc. Its tracking devices connected to its Bluetooth network do not have adequate protections against tracking.

The case Hughes v. Apple, Inc., 3:22-cv-07668, is in the US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).

© 2024 Bloomberg LP

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