Florida lawmakers unanimously vote to make stalking a crime with offenders facing up to five years in prison

Florida will become the first state to criminalize device stalking.

Republican lawmakers proposed a new bill that would provide up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for offenders caught using tracking systems like Apple’s AirTags and spyware to track victims without their consent.

Device stalking is currently a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 60 days in jail, six months’ probation, and a $500 fine.

The Florida Judiciary Committee adopted the decision account The vote was 9-0 on Monday, but it must still pass through the Senate Rules Committee before making its way to the House and Senate.

If approved, Gov. Ron DeSantis could sign it into law on Oct. 1.

The bill was proposed by Representative Tobin Overdorf and Senator John Martin, who were urged by police departments to introduce the legislation.

He added that the increasing availability of trackers means the technology “could go completely unnoticed unless you are trained or skilled to find those tracking devices.”

The bill states that there are exceptions that allow certain individuals to track others without their consent, including law enforcement officers, a parent or legal guardian of a minor, a caregiver of an elderly or disabled individual, and the owner or renter of a motor vehicle.

“Some applications have legitimate uses,” the Florida Senate wrote in a statement analysis of the bill.

However, it added that “other applications are developed and marketed as surveillance applications, typically targeting potential customers interested in using the technology to monitor someone else’s movements and communications without consent.” to follow.’

Four types of technology make it possible to track people, including global positioning satellite systems, Wi-Fi positioning, Bluetooth Low Energy and Ultra-Wideband technology, the analysis said.

Stalking remains a serious problem, especially for those affected by domestic violence, with trackers leading to harmful behavior and in some cases death.

Apple has added a feature to its AirTag devices to alert people if they are unknowingly being tracked

In 2022, a woman used an Apple AirTag to track her boyfriend to a bar where she brutally murdered him by running him over with her car.

A Texas man was arrested last December for planting a tracking device in the trunk and upholstery of his estranged wife’s vehicle.

And last summer, a man shot and killed his girlfriend because she removed the Apple AirTag he had placed in her car without her knowledge.

Richard Ansara, a South Florida-based criminal defense attorney who represents people accused of domestic violence, told Techxplore, “People do desperate things in relationships, especially when they are trying to determine if there is infidelity.

“Some may decide to drop an AirTag in their partner’s vehicle and/or clothing to try to get to the bottom of what’s going on in their relationships. Is this correct behavior? No.’

Apple has rolled out an update to its AirTag device to let people know if they are being tracked without their consent and “to discourage people from tracking you without your knowledge,” the company said on its website. place.

a class action lawsuit filed against the company last year alleged that Apple isn’t doing enough to protect people from unwanted tracking, saying people are falling victim to stalkers and potential murderers using AirTags.

“I think there needs to be some more information disseminated to the potential buyer so that he or she understands that there may be criminal and/or civil liability that could expose him/her if it is actually misused,” said lawyer Stuart. Kaplan said CBS12 News.

A 2022 report The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 7.5 million people are stalked each year, “but this crime is rarely charged or prosecuted.”

Dailymail.com has contacted Representative Overdorf and Senator Martin for comment.