It’s end-to-end encrypted, so the only other devices able to read the location of your phone/AirTag/laptop/etc. are devices that you own. Nobody else—not Apple, not the government—can access your location data in any way.

This network used to only exist for iDevices, making it very easy to track down a lost or stolen phone or tablet. People didn’t have any concerns about stalking because it’s not practical to hide a phone to stalk someone (and the battery would only be good for a few days anyway). The game changed when AirTags were introduced, which are both easily concealed and have replaceable batteries that last for years, hence why we’re seeing critical articles like the OP.