Pennsylvania took a step Tuesday toward becoming the latest state to penalize people for using Bluetooth-connected devices to track someone without their permission.
The state House of Representatives approved a bill 199-1 that would make the use of tracking devices to secretly track others part of Pennsylvania’s anti-stalking law. This crime would be punishable as a third-degree misdemeanor or punishable by up to 90 days in jail.
The bill heads to the Senate, where another bill is pending that would make the crime a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison.
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Most states have provisions in their state laws prohibiting remote tracking, but some have added them. Ohio is considering such a bill, Florida is increasing penalties for the use of such devices, and Kentucky approved new legislation last year.
Bluetooth-controlled devices manufactured by various tech giants and digital apps installed on mobile phones can covertly track the movements of others.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol on December 16, 2021 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Tuesday’s passage of the House bill follows Apple’s motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit that claims the tech giant doesn’t do enough to prevent stalkers from using its AirTag devices to track victims. This comes weeks after a federal judge rejected the .
Apple’s $29 AirTags have become a popular item since their launch in 2021, allowing users to monitor the location of everything from lost keys to wallets and luggage.
But stalkers also use AirTags and similar tracking devices, and in 2022, dozens of plaintiffs sued Apple alleging that AirTag users were stalking them. They say AirTags’ safety features are inadequate and that Apple should do more to protect victims after AirTags “revolutionized the scope, breadth, and ease of location-based stalking.” He argued that he should have done so.
Apple condemns malicious use of its products. The company said in court that it had “taken proactive steps” to stop the abuse and that it should not be held liable for damages caused by third parties.
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Last year, Apple partnered with Google to develop standards to combat covert surveillance by tracking devices.
