Eric Adams is handing out a whole lot of free Apple AirTags in a bid to chop the variety of auto thefts in New York

• Mayor Eric Adams mentioned Sunday town will hand out 500 free Apple AirTags to New York residents.
• Adams mentioned it is a part of town’s efforts to assist cut back the hundreds of automotive thefts yearly.

New York will hand out a whole lot of free Apple Air Tags in a bid to chop the variety of auto thefts in New York, mayor Eric Adams introduced Sunday.

He referred to as the $29 GPS monitoring gadgets a “actually superb piece of ingenuity,” and mentioned town would give lots of them away in The Bronx particularly, the place residents had been probably the most affected.

“The aggravated variety of grand larceny autos continues to drive up crime in our metropolis,” Adams mentioned at a press convention. “This straightforward gadget, this easy AirTag, hidden in a automotive location that an individual isn’t conscious of, is a superb monitoring gadget.”

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He added: “It is simple to watch. You possibly can see in actual time the place the automobile is situated.”

The Affiliation for Higher New York, a neighborhood nonprofit, donated 500 AirTags to town and police will give them to residents. The town can even fundraise to purchase extra.

Thefts of Hyundai and Kia automobiles have skyrocketed following a TikTok development. It began in 2021 when a TikTok consumer posted a video displaying how a thief might begin a Kia by turning an inside change with a easy software.

The New York Police Division acquired reviews of 104 Hyundais and 99 Kias stolen in December alone, in accordance with information reported by The New York Submit.

—NYPD Chief of Division (@NYPDChiefOfDept) April 30, 2023

Nevertheless, the gadget has raised some considerations about unauthorized monitoring. In June final yr, an Indiana lady tracked her boyfriend whom she suspected was dishonest on her, utilizing the monitoring gadget, after which killed him.

Apple launched an announcement in February 2022: “AirTag was designed to assist individuals find their private belongings, to not observe individuals or one other particular person’s property, and we condemn within the strongest doable phrases any malicious use of our merchandise.

“Undesirable monitoring has lengthy been a societal drawback, and we took this concern critically within the design of AirTag. Incidents of AirTag misuse are uncommon; nonetheless, every occasion is one too many.”

Apple did not instantly reply to a request for remark from Insider made exterior regular working hours.