Though Apple AirTags have made finding your belongings easier, the Bluetooth device has also become a favourite among car thieves, largely due to their convenience and relative ease with which they can track a vehicle.
According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) an “estimated” 72,000 vehicles were stolen between 2023 and 2024, with the national agency stating it is “about 17,000 more than in 2022–2023”.
Though the ABS didn’t specify how these vehicles were stolen, various state authorities, like Victoria Police, have previously issued warnings in relation to car thieves using electronic tools like the Apple AirTags.
As previously reported by Drive, a Victoria Police spokesperson said small tracking devices like Apple AirTags “can be hidden or disguised in a bag, or on a vehicle under a numberplate, tow bar or fuel cap”.
In a nutshell, some car thieves can place the Apple AirTags or a similar Bluetooth tracking device in a hidden location of a car. From there, crooks are able to track the device through a smartphone app that leads them to where the vehicle is located.
According to Jon Bergman, the Managing Director of Automotive Integration – a Melbourne-based automotive electronics company – one Holden Commodore owner showed him footage of his car being tracked by an Apple AirTag before it was stolen.
“A client showed me footage of thieves stealing his car recently. They found the car by placing an [Apple] Air Tag on the car so they could locate it later,” Bergman told Drive.
“The footage showed them arriving at 4:00am… they stole the [client’s] car after programming in a new key. The whole process took around three minutes,” he explained.
Similarly, various car owners have shared their experience of being tracked by car thieves using GPS devices like Apple AirTags on social media platforms like Reddit and Facebook.
In September 2024, an anonymous person posted video footage of a brazen car thief placing an Air Tag on their wife’s car on the Stolen Vehicles Victoria Facebook group.
The unnamed user said, “My wife’s car was done with an AirTag. Luckily, she seen him [sic] doing it from inside and was able to find it with the tracker detect app. [She] found it wrapped in black plastic in the lower grille under the numberplate [of her car]”.
Is using an Apple AirTag illegal in Australia?
Yes, it's legal to use an Apple AirTag for your own belongings. However, using the Bluetooth tracking device on another person and/or their property without their consent can be classified as an offence.
Depending on where the offence took place, fines can range from thousands of dollars in fines and/or imprisonment.
In Victoria, local laws state that a person who "knowingly installs, uses or maintains a tracking device" without another person's consent can incur a $48,720 penalty and/or a two-year imprisonment sentence.
In NSW, offenders who have used a tracking device on another person and/or their property without consent can be fined $20,300 and/or five years in prison.
While there are no specific surveillance laws in Queensland, unlawfully using an Apple AirTag can be classified as a stalking offence, with offenders "liable to a maximum penalty of imprisonment for five years", according to state road rules.
In South Australia, the offence carries a $15,000 fine or a three-year jail sentence. Meanwhile, in Western Australia, knowingly tracking another person without their consent can lead to a $5000 penalty and/or one year in prison.
In Tasmania, a stalking offence can also include interfering with the property of another person, though state rules do not dictate what the penalty for committing it would be.
In the Australian Capital Territory, stalking a person "under surveillance" can lead to an imprisonment sentence ranging from two to seven years, depending on the severity of the offence.
Finally, in the Northern Territory, a person knowingly installing and/or using a tracking device to keep tabs on another person can be fined a maximum of $47,250 or serve a two-year jail sentence.
The issue of unwanted tracking has been prevalent since the tech giant introduced the tracking device in 2021.
In response, Apple issued a statement regarding this safety issue, with the US electronics pioneer stating the AirTag “was designed to help people locate their belongings, not to track people or another person’s property”.
“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,” Apple said in 2022.
“Apple has been working closely with various safety groups and law enforcement agencies … every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID.
“Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs – the federal body that oversees regulation on electronic devices – said it is currently reworking legislation to better deter electronically assisted crimes.
“The Australian government is progressing major reforms to improve the ability of the Commonwealth, state and territory agencies to obtain intelligence on, investigate, and deter crime (including technologically assisted crime) through the Electronics Surveillance Reform,” a Department of Home Affairs spokesperson told Drive.
How to protect yourself from being tracked by an Apple AirTag
If you think you may have been tracked using an Apple AirTag, there are numerous ways to safeguard yourself.
A Victoria Police spokesperson previously advised, “If an iPhone detects an unknown AirTag or a Find My Network accessory nearby that has been moving with you over time, you will receive a notification that an item has been detected near you”.
“Should that occur, use the Find My app to see if your travels have been tracked, and tap ‘play sound’ to assist you in locating the AirTag.
“You can disable the AirTag to stop sharing your location by selecting ‘Instructions to Disable’ and following the on-screen steps,” they added.
Additionally, the tech giant said the AirTag also has a 'precision finding' feature – available on iPhone 11 models or later – which allows users to "see the distance and direction of an unknown AirTag" if it's within range.
What do you think? Should Australian authorities restrict the sale and use of Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTags? Let us know in the comments below.
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
