(NEXSTAR) – Are you being tracked without knowing it? Apple’s AirTags have become a concern after several recent reports of unwanted tracking. The devices pose possible security risks by being affordable, easy to hide, and now, completely silent.
Unlike similar devices, like the Tile tracker, AirTags can track at much farther distances using Apple’s Find My Phone network. Upgraded AirTags now beep when a device that’s not registered to an individual user is nearby. AirTags with speakers disabled, though, were recently seen for sale on Etsy, PCMag reports.
The listing, which has since been removed, advertised “Silent Apple AirTag – Speaker Disabled, Stealth Mode, Mute” and priced at just over $75. Regular AirTags retail for $29.
Unwanted tracking has been reported by people in several states, including Tennessee, where resident Ellie Tindall told NewsNation Now she realized an AirTag had been used to track her vehicle for potential theft. She also said police noted the tracking sometimes doesn’t stop there.
“The cops were saying they’ll put it on your car,” Tindall said. “So they’ll follow you home and then it’s connected to your car, so when you leave your car, they’ll also break into your home.”
Meanwhile, PCMag reports a listing on eBay advertises a sound-disabled AirTag, “So it doesn’t keep beeping when away from you, e.g. if left in car or bike or with a family member! Reduces chance of a thief being notified of its hidden location!”
Apple notes that AirTags are “designed to discourage unwanted tracking.”
