Ohio legislators look to criminalize use of AirTags, other tracking devices for stalking

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Lawmakers in Ohio are looking to criminalize the use of Apple AirTags and other tracking devices being used for stalking.

A Senate committee on Tuesday took up the bill which would ban the use of AirTags or other tracking devices being used to track a person or their property without consent.

One of the bill's sponsors, Republican Sen. Nathan Manning, said that there have been several recent instances of tracking devices being used to stalk someone else.

"Obviously, technology can be a great thing for convenience, for safety, but it can also be a dangerous thing, and that’s what we’re seeing with these tracking devices," Manning told other lawmakers.

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An Apple AirTag device during the Spring Loaded virtual product launch in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. Apple Inc. launched a new accessory called AirTag that will find physical items like bags, wallets and keys, entering a market with competitors including Tile Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The bill failed to gain support during the 2022 general assembly in Ohio, but would create a criminal offense for using a tracking device, such as an AirTag, to stalk an individual.

Democrat Sen. Nickie Antonio said that it's very easy to use the small device to track someone's whereabouts. 

"You can see how easy it is to just slip it into someone’s pocket or purse or other items of clothing without their knowledge," Antonio said.

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Someone holds an Apple AirTag in San Francisco, March 14, 2022.  (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Attorney General Dave Yost is supporting the bill and testified to legislators in 2022 that people are using AirTags for "nefarious purposes."

"Because prosecuting a stalking charge typically requires demonstrating a pattern of behavior, tagging a vehicle without the owner’s permission can prove to be a difficult case to charge under current law," Yost added.

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Apple's Airtag (Apple)

Under Senate Bill 100, people who are convicted could face a $1,000 fine or up to six months in jail.

A spokesperson for Apple has previously pointed Fox News Digital to a recent update and stated that it works with law enforcement to track down AirTags used for criminal purposes.

"AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products. Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag. It’s why the Find My network is built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption, and why we innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you of unwanted tracking. We hope this starts an industry trend for others to also provide these sorts of proactive warnings in their products," the spokesperson said.