'What's the point of this sneakiness?': Boss secretly installs an AirTag in employee's car without telling them

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
May 21, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

AirTags are the perfect example of an invention that came about for a useful, utilitarian purpose but was commandeered by bad actors. The idea of having a little chip you can attach to your keys, your wallet, your luggage… it's a great idea. For people who are constantly misplacing things, an AirTag can be a saving grace. You never have to turn your house upside down, taking cushions out of the couch, praying that whatever you lost is in there somewhere. 

On the other hand, though, AirTags are easily attached to other people's belongings… you can imagine where it might lead from there. It's like the stuff of spy movies where the villain has secretly implanted a microchip in the hero's shoe, able to track his every move. However, in this story, the villain is a boss who wasn't so upfront about his intentions, and the hero was an innocent employee.

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  • 01

    So my boss secretly put an AirTag in my company car... and didn't tell me

    I work as a telecom installer for a small local company. I'm literally the only employee. For the past few days I've been hearing this weird beeping noise in the car. Thought it was the radio or something. Then my phone randomly pops up with: "An AirTag is moving with you."
    via u/ViniciusFromBcn
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10507956480
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • The worker was left not quite knowing what to do, whether what their employer was doing was legal, or whether or not they had any recourse. Other employees joined in and shared their stories, reflecting on whether or not it is ethical for a boss to track their employees. 

  • 03
    I check it out... and yup. It's tracking my entire route. Every stop I make. Full timeline. Now look... I get that it's a company car. I understand having a GPS. I'm not doing anything shady. I drive where I need to, take breaks when I need to. But putting a tracker on it and just... not telling me? I think I have one of these lying around at home. I'm thinking about swapping it with the AirTag so my boss thinks it broke or something.
    via u/ViniciusFromBcn
  • 04
    That feels so messed up. It's not even about privacy at this point, it's about respect. Like, I'm a grown adult doing my job. What's the point of this sneakiness? Feels more like I'm being babysat than trusted. Am I overreacting or is this just straightup weird?
    via u/ViniciusFromBcn
  • 05

    Commenters had some questions... and some potential answers.

    popplevee ⚫4h ago Are you sure your boss put that there and not someone else? I'd confirm with the boss.
    via u/popplevee
  • 06
    Observation • 2h ago Exactly. Easy enough to say "hey, I got an airtag notification when driving the car, I just want to make sure you put it there and not someone else". I do agree with OP that if the boss put it there then he should have been told. I have a company car that's tracked by GPS, speed limited, etc, but I knew all that and signed an agreement before it was given to me.
    via u/0bservation
  • 07
    Emotional-Ebb8321 4h ago • Have a conversation with him about it. It's not unreasonable for a company to track their cars. But equally, it's not unreasonable for them to be honest about that. If he denies that it is being tracked, then lose the airtag on a bus.
    via u/Emotional-Ebb8321
  • 08
    rexel99.4h ago Work can and do track staff in many ways, especially on a laptop - I guess this is just one you discovered because airtags have this nice notification system to stop them being misused like this. You should hide it in his car, or his wife's just for fun...
    via u/rexel99
  • 09
    Hystrion 4h ago There are countries where people's rights matter and no monitoring can be done without informing employees first. And there are countries where only companies' profits matter.
    via u/Hystrion
  • 10
    Designed AirTag Wideband by Apple i alifornia Assembled in China
    via Mark Chan

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 11
    duketheunicorn ⚫ 3h ago You should assume all company kit-cars, phones, apps-are tracked and monitored. All of it. If you put their app on your device, it's tracked and monitored too.
    via u/duketheunicorn
  • 12
    lamAlmost • 4h ago Could go to your boss very concerned and show them the airbag and talk in hushed tones about there being a spy or mole in the company and that something malicious is occurring as someone is
    via u/lamAlmost
  • 13
    tracking and stalking you. Could even mention you filed a police report as you've dealt with stalking in the past... Talk about how you don't feel safe anymore and fear for the safety of your coworkers... Say it all quickly before they get a chance to speak...
    via u/lamAlmost
  • 14
    dinoooooooooos 4h ago I mean I'd talk to him about it. It's not the tracker itself, companies tend to do thay with company given cars, it's the not telling you that's shady af and I'd ask and talk to him about coming from a sense of "did I do anytbing to make you feel like you can't trust me, boss?" Kinda deal.
    via u/dinoooooooooos
  • 15
    I mean I'd also say that I freaked out for a solid 3 hours trying to find the noise, almost called the police bc I thought some stalker put a tracker near me til I realised... etc. doesn't necessarily have to be true but I'd say that was creepy,
    via u/dinoooooooooos
  • 16
    do you have the feeling you can't trust me and what can we do to not have me tracked without my knowledge and boss still feeling good aber the company car idk. Obv that depends on how friendly y'all are. And how much you need this job, just in case.
    via u/dinoooooooooos
  • 17
    cheeky Monkey Mo... . 4h ago Lose the tracker, maybe it gets tossed onto a long haul trailer..
    via u/cheekyMonkeyMonster
  • 18
    brunte2000 • 4h ago Assume that your employer tracks all and any use of company property. In some countries the employer has to inform the employee of certain kinds of spying, in others they don't.
    via u/brunte2000
  • 19
    Struck_down • 4h ago . Al of my company's vehicles. have GPS takes plugged into them. We also carry around ipads that they can pull location data from. On their property is not that big of a deal.
    via u/Struck_down
  • 20
    obinice_khenbli 4h ago • Your Company car, or his Company car? Surely if it's a company car and you don't own the company, it's not your car, they have the right to do whatever they like with it, and every reason to want to track it for loss prevention and to ensure it's only being used for company mandated purposes.
    via u/obinice_khenbli
  • 21
    If you're not trying to sneakily use it to do personal trips, there shouldn't be any harm in them tracking their property.
    via u/obinice_khenbli
  • 22
    You do your own business in your own car, and the company car - much like any piece of equipment (phone, computer etc) provided by the company - should be assumed to be tracked and monitored and only ever used for work purposes and nothing else.
    via u/obinice_khenbli
  • 23
    Detachabl_e • 48m ago If you found a random airtag in your company vehicle and there is no written policy that would inform you that your employer would do this, I would not assume it is your employer. Sounds like a form of stalking by whoever put it there and should probably be reported to law enforcement.
    via u/ViniciusFromBcnDetachabl_e
  • 24
    avabennedikt • 4h ago Not overreacting. Tracking without telling you is creepy, not professional. It's about control, not trust. Huge red flag.
    via u/avabennedikt

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boss antiwork location tracking workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story AirTag toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment
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