Ohio has proposed a new bill that would prohibit the use of electronic tracking devices made by Apple, Tile and other companies to track someone else's location without their consent.
See also: Australian photographer found his stolen equipment via AirTag
WKYC reports that House Bill 672 was introduced after discovering that stalkers could abuse loopholes in law to legally track people with products like the AirTag, which debuted in April 2021, as long as they had not been accused of domestic violence or stalking in the past.
HB 672, the bill, would close that loophole by stating that “no person shall knowingly install a monitoring device or application on the property of another person without the consent of the other person,” according to a copy of the law, which WKYC uploaded to the document sharing platform Scribd.
See also: Android app detects tracking on Apple AirTags
The bill provides exemptions for law enforcement officers installing devices as part of a criminal investigation, parents monitoring their minor children, and caregivers monitoring older adults. But even those exemptions have provisions designed to prevent their abuse.
In February, Apple said it would implement additional security features to prevent AirTag tracking. Later this year, the company plans to add a precision finder feature that will allow iPhone 11, 12, and 13 series owners to find their way to an unknown AirTag. The tool will show the direction and distance to an unwanted AirTag. Apple said it will also update unwanted tracking notifications to alert people to potential stalkers.
See also: AirTags: New update makes it harder for third parties to track them
If this bill passes, Ohio would join 19 other states in banning the use of tracking devices to facilitate stalking behavior, WKYC reports. Hopefully, the rest of the nation will follow suit as these gadgets become increasingly popular among both general consumers and criminals.
