Someone in Texas Allegedly Just Used an Apple AirTag for a Very Disturbing Reason

This takes "privacy concerns" to another level.

On March 29, there was a confrontation at a shopping center in San Antonio, Texas, and when it was over Andrew John Herrera was dead.

Police said the incident began when an unidentified man used an Apple  (APPL)  AirTag to track his stolen pickup truck.

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Man Allegedly Used Apple AirTag for Crime

After contacting the police, the vehicle’s owner found and approached the suspected truck thief, identified as Herrera, who allegedly pulled a gun and was shot in the head by the owner.

Police said on April 3 that the shooting “is still an active investigation at this moment.”

"If you are to get your vehicle stolen, please do not take matters into your own hands like this," Officer Nick Soliz said, according to Fox News. "It's never safe as you can see by this incident."

Introduced in April 2021, the AirTag is a small device that the computer giant said would help iPhone users “keep track of and find the important items in their lives.”

The AirTag, which is roughly the size of a quarter and sells for $29, is intended to help people keep track of keys, backpacks, luggage and other items.

How Do Apple AirTags Work?

AirTags operate by establishing a Bluetooth connection to any nearby Apple device. They use that device to determine the tracker’s location and the device’s internet connection to transmit the location to Apple and then to the customer.

In January, an AirTag helped rescuers in California find a dog that had been swept away in a flood.

However, critics say the device can also be used for darker purposes. A class action lawsuit filed in December described the AirTag as “the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers.”

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, claimed that “at least two reported murders have occurred in which the murderer used an AirTag to track the victim.”

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company has said that it condemns “in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products.”

“We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we’ve received,” the company said in a statement last year. “Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many.”

Apple AirTag Abuse Isn't New

Last June, a 26-year-old Indianapolis woman was arrested after allegedly tracking her boyfriend with an AirTag and running him over with her car.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Brooks Nader claimed last year that an Apple AirTag has been slipped into her belongings in New York City.

While she was walking home alone after a night out, she got a notification that somebody was tracking her location, and had been "for a while," she said.

The class action lawsuit tries to address some of these dangers. Because of this technology and because of the ubiquity of Apple products, “it is virtually impossible to hide from an AirTag in most, if not all, populated areas,” it says.

“While Apple has built safeguards into the air tag product, they are woefully inadequate and do little if anything to properly warn individuals if they are being tracked,” the complaint said.

The lawsuit also said that Apple’s Tracker Detect app for Google  (GOOGL) - Get Free Report Android users is inadequate, noting that an Android owner “must decide when and where to scan for AirTags—something a person being unknowingly tracked would be unlikely to do.”