Apple AirTag has been used to track many lost and stolen items. AirTag, which has proven to be a very useful tool in this regard, faced an interesting situation in a recent incident. In a theft case in the U.S., police said they could not recover the stolen motorbike based solely on AirTag data.
“We can’t rely on AirTag to know if the motorbike was actually stolen”
An incident in Chicago, USA, has raised questions about when police can rely on AirTags. A motorcycle owner hid an AirTag in the seat of his vehicle. The motorcycle was then stolen. However, he was able to track the thief to a certain point.
According to the AirTag, the motorcycle was in a garage. The police, “unable to see the stolen item in public,” said they could not enter the garage without a warrant. They said they were limited in what they could do based on AirTag’s location data alone.
Frustrated, the owner left his bike locked in the garage without any help from the police. Even though he knew exactly where the missing bike was parked, he said he had no choice but to file a claim with his insurance company.
It is unclear where the theft will go in the coming days, but it raises a risky question. Earlier this year, for example, a woman found her stolen car using AirTag. But she was killed trying to retrieve her car without police assistance.
Apple recommends that AirTag should only be used for location data and that law enforcement should be contacted.
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