A family from the United States claimed yesterday that someone at Walt Disney World tracked their moves by attaching an Apple AirTag to them as they walked through the Orlando theme park. Jennifer Gatson, according to Fox35, discovered the coin-sized device in her bag after receiving a notification that an owner of an AirTag had been tracking them. The Gatson family was riding the monorail back to their car after visiting Disney World at the time.
Jennifer Gatson told Fox35 that her family was “terrified, confused, hurt, and scared.” Her daughter Madison noticed that the device had been tracking them for several hours as they walked through the theme park. It had found itself in every location the family had visited.
The family then began searching for the tracker. When the small device fell out of their bags, they frantically dumped everything. They then got back into their car, locked the door, and sped away before calling the cops.
“While she was refreshing it, it showed that the airbag was still in our parking place, so it fell out while we were desperately shaking out clothes and dumping it out of our bags,” Ms Gaston told Fox35. She went on to say that the scenario could have turned out much worse. “I’m thanking God for the outcome,” she said, “but it’s because she (Madison) was meticulous and aware of what to do.”
Apple AirTags are intended to aid in the tracking of items that people frequently misplace, such as keys and wallets. However, the small device has previously been revealed to have been used by felons to track people.
Apple has defended its function in the face of growing safety concerns. It has been stated that the device was created to assist people in locating their personal belongings, not to track people or other people’s property. Apple even stated that the device is intended to prevent “unwarranted tracking” by notifying a nearby iPhone when an AirTag is separated from its user.
According to David Benson, a security expert, if people find themselves in a similar situation, they should avoid going home or to their hotel and instead go to a public location and call the police. Furthermore, Apple has explained how to protect oneself and receive safety notifications.