(Paris) For the past few days, Parisiennes have been saying that they have found an AirTag tracker in their handbag. A device that would be used by men to track them from a distance.
A circle 3 centimeters in diameter and 11 grams can make women’s lives a nightmare. A jewel of technology, diverted from its use to attack them.
In Paris, a rumor is spreading: some men place AirTags in the handbags of those they meet to be able to track them. This tracking device developed by Apple in 2021 is supposed to be used to find keys and wallets thanks to the geolocation and networking of all Apple products. But its use has been widely misused.
The alert was born on Twitter on June 12. “Les Parisiennes, be super careful with the Airtags, I got one on the 16e [arrondissement] a few days ago, and this is my buddy who just found one on her on her way home from the gym,” reads the tweet, which garnered more than 4 million views in 10 days.
Subtle and disturbing
If we knew in Paris, as everywhere else, street harassment, insistent remarks and the fear of being literally followed on the way home, it would seem that some have found a more subtle way of keeping track of the one they they want to achieve.
Slipped into a bag or a pocket, the disc would make it possible to follow a prey, to let it go to find it, later, elsewhere. However, on the web page devoted to this accessory sold for around forty dollars, Apple promises: “With an AirTag, no one can follow you without your knowledge. »
The Parisians doubt it.
For the moment, it is impossible to know how many people are affected by these facts. Contacted, the Paris prosecutor’s office – which brings together the magistrates responsible for prosecuting the perpetrators of crimes and misdemeanors – simply indicates that “nothing allows us to count the complaints relating to offenses which would have been specifically committed by this means”.
Under French law, using a means of tracking to trace someone without their consent is an offense that can lead to a year in prison.
But in the minds of Parisiennes, the law is not the priority.
Aliénor Debonneville has heard of this use of the AirTag. “It’s worrying, but I don’t really see what more we can do, we are already constantly vigilant with our bags, especially against pickpockets. She thinks about the places most at risk for this type of attack – public transport, parties, crowds – and realizes that these are situations in which she always takes care of her belongings.
“That’s not what will scare me more than anything else,” says Flora Boivin.
Anyway, if the attackers want to attack, they attack.
Flora Boivin
Last year, another obsession had settled in the minds of Parisians, and French women in general. Many of them said they had been stung with a syringe during concerts, in nightclubs or during large gatherings. An even more insidious way of drugging women than slipping something into their drink. “We were already careful with our glasses in the evening, now it will be our bags”, reacts Clara Pierre.
Harassment, the daily life of young Parisians
“We are already worried about other things. We are even wary of men, quite simply, in real life. Every time we go out, we take a good look at who we are talking to, we watch our bag, ”adds Candice Rollet, who does not intend to prevent herself from going out to avoid this installation of tracers in her business.
Nevertheless, Candice Rollet is surprised: “But Apple is not going to do anything to fight against this? The question is legitimate. The American firm launched, in May 2023, a joint initiative with Google for the “fight against unwanted tracking”. In this specification under development, the brand promises “AirTag protection devices” to prevent its use to track people without their consent.
In the meantime, you have to rely on apps that detect trackers, both on iPhone and Android. If we detect one that does not belong to us, the police and Apple recommend not to remove the battery from the device. The AirTag keeps track of the last location it checked in and sends that information to its owner. Writing down the serial number and filing a complaint are the best things to do. Parisiennes are warned and prepared for this eventuality.