Apple AirTag's Safety Feature Reportedly Foils US Man's Stalking Attempts

Apple Inc.'s AAPL AirTags safety feature reportedly led to the arrest of an Iowa man who allegedly stalked a woman on three occasions and claimed to be married to her 

What Happened: Carl Steven Shawver, 63, was arrested and charged with stalking as well as unauthorized use of GPS, reported 9To5Mac, citing a local news outlet. 

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During the first attempt, he placed the AirTag on top of the spare tire in the woman's car “because he believed the victim was having an affair.” But Apple's built-in safety precautions kicked in and the woman was alerted that an AirTag was tracking her movements. She went to the Bettendorf, Iowa, police department to report this. Shawver also showed up at the police station. He told the officers that he had placed the AirTag on the woman's car because he believed she was having an affair at the station, which is why he reached the station. No arrest was made then.

The second time authorities located the device in a plastic sandwich bag sitting on top of a spare tire. The third time the AirTag was located on the car's subframe near the front passenger tire. 

Shawver is currently being held in the Polk County Jail on a $3,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Dec. 19.

Though Shawver stated he and the victim were married the duo never had a relationship, the report noted, citing court records. 

Why It's Important: In February, Apple introduced new updates to its AirTag tracking devices and "Find My Network," including a setup to warn users if they are being tracked without consent.

Users who are worried an AirTag is secretly tracking them can take some precautionary measures before reporting to the authorities. 

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