Apple Plans AirTag Updates to Address Unwanted Tracking (cnn.com) 43
"Apple said Thursday it plans to add more safeguards to AirTags to cut down on unwanted tracking," reports CNN, "following reports that the devices have been used to stalk people and steal cars."
In a blog post, Apple said it has worked with safety groups and law enforcement agencies to identify more ways to update its AirTag safety warnings, including alerting people sooner if the small Bluetooth tracker is suspected to be tracking someone. (Right now, it can take hours for an AirTag to chirp if it has been separated from its owner.)
Other updates coming later this year include tweaking the tracker's tone sequence so the device is louder and easier to find, and allowing someone to see its distance and direction of an AirTag through the iOS precision finding tool. In addition, Apple will warn AirTag users during the setup process that tracking people without their consent is a crime.
That warning also reminds users "that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag," Apple writes in their blog post: We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we've received. Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many. Every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID. Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement. We have successfully partnered with them on cases where information we provided has been used to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator, who was then apprehended and charged.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products," Apple's blog post adds.
Daring Fireball supplies some analysis: The same features that help prevent AirTags from being used to stalk people without their knowing could also alert a thief that whatever it is they've stolen has an AirTag attached. There's no way for AirTags to serve both purposes, so Apple is increasing the protections against unwanted tracking, and emphasizing that AirTags are solely intended for finding your own lost items.
Other updates coming later this year include tweaking the tracker's tone sequence so the device is louder and easier to find, and allowing someone to see its distance and direction of an AirTag through the iOS precision finding tool. In addition, Apple will warn AirTag users during the setup process that tracking people without their consent is a crime.
That warning also reminds users "that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag," Apple writes in their blog post: We have been actively working with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests we've received. Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many. Every AirTag has a unique serial number, and paired AirTags are associated with an Apple ID. Apple can provide the paired account details in response to a subpoena or valid request from law enforcement. We have successfully partnered with them on cases where information we provided has been used to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator, who was then apprehended and charged.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products," Apple's blog post adds.
Daring Fireball supplies some analysis: The same features that help prevent AirTags from being used to stalk people without their knowing could also alert a thief that whatever it is they've stolen has an AirTag attached. There's no way for AirTags to serve both purposes, so Apple is increasing the protections against unwanted tracking, and emphasizing that AirTags are solely intended for finding your own lost items.
ultimately (Score:5, Insightful)
If someone wants to track you, then you can't stop them.
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Re: ultimately (Score:2)
Re: ultimately (Score:2)
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Less granularity of the location info (Score:2)
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They need to do something to stop people disabling the speaker. Electrically it's not hard to detect when the speaker is working. Check the current consumption, maybe stick a microphone in there.
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The purpose of the devices is to allow you to find your keys or your wallet. Without granular location data, that's not going to be very possible.
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The purpose of the devices is to allow you to find your keys or your wallet.
So, they're for aging Boomers?
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Yeah. And now disorganized Zoomers.
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Using it to find your keys is exactly a use case where the whole world-wide crowd-sourced tracking of these devices seems... overkill.
Airtags could still be useful even if they only had a search radius measured in meters instead of kilometers.
My main issue, however, is that Apple has a system to detect if you're being tracked.. but it only works on iphones or Android phones that have installed a special app.
And to use that special app on my Android phone, I will then have to keep my phone's bluetooth on at
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If the item is a stolen backpack or something like that, I am sure it won’t be a problem to find the airtag when a notification pops up on their phone.
Where's the Android app? (Score:1)
The only way to detect our invasive tracking device is to buy a more expensive device from us. Great. That solves about 30% of one of the problems with these devices.
Re:Where's the Android app? (Score:5, Informative)
The Android app is right here, Apple released it months ago.
https://play.google.com/store/... [google.com]
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It's crap though. Doesn't background scan, you have to open it and manually check if you are being stalked.
Only works with AirTags too.
There are third party apps that work with all Bluetooth trackers, but really it needs to be integrated into the OS for full background scanning with minimal battery impact. Just like the COVID contact tracing.
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Great. I can protect myself if I put an Apple app on my Android phone.
Now we all get to trust that Apple isn't more than happy to have a method to track every phone in the country. Including all future Apple customers (From Apple's perspective) more commonly called Android users.
btw. Unless I need it, I keep Bluetooth off at all times. Rule of thumb. Keep your attack surface as small as possible. Now I'm suppose to keep Bluetooth on all the time to protect myself from Apple's spyware disks?
Gun manufacturer (Score:3)
Does Apple sound strangely like a firearm manufacturer here?
Not responsible for how their product is used in the commission of a crime. Yea. Apple isn't going to stop making these either.
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Except AirTags have plenty of features to discourage use in crimes. It would be as if a gun manufacturer put in smart triggers and smart logic in their guns to ensure that only the legitimate owner can fire the weapon, and that it's aimed only at legitimate targets (i.e, someone threatening your life, a game animal, or inan
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Except AirTags have plenty of features to discourage use in crimes. It would be as if a gun manufacturer put in smart triggers and smart logic in their guns to ensure that only the legitimate owner can fire the weapon, and that it's aimed only at legitimate targets (i.e, someone threatening your life, a game animal, or inanimate target).
Apple is taking responsibility for how it's used by trying to prevent illegitimate uses of their product. They don't want it used to stalk people, so they put in features to prevent that.
+1
Within a year of release of Airtags, Apple has already released an update which, while imperfect, is meant to address concerns from the public and from law enforcement to decrease the risk of their product being used in the execution of a crime. They are actively working on another update. That sounds COMPLETELY unlike firearm manufacturers. Not even in the same universe in fact.
So I suppose to answer your question, no they don't sound like a firearm manufacturer. If they did they'd just be shrugging and
Stalkers using airtags more likely to be caught (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't it better that stalkers use Airtags instead of other means by which they won't be caught or traced. Anyway, how many actual instances of this have happened? It seems to me that whoever does this is asking to get caught. If we banned everything that somebody misuses we would literally have nothing. Cell phones -- can be used to plan crime. Cars -- 1 million deaths annually worldwide. Almost anything we have has been misused and will be misused. If the automobile were to be invented today, there is no way in hell it would be allowed -- given that only a very small percent of people would own it at the beginning. We can't have nice things because people don't understand statistics and context.
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Thanks for this very insightful comment. FWIW I wish I had karma to give you, but maybe this reply is more meaningful than a click. It's rare that a Slashdot comment on an Apple topic is more thoughtful than just "Apple SUX!"
Isn't that the truth?
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No, because AirTags are cheap and disposable. And they have legitimate uses. Apple wants to prevent their illegitimate use which is why they put in anti-stalker features. If a stalker wants to track you, the
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Uh, they only started adding the anti-stalker features after they released the airtag and people started saying it can be used to track.
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Are people really that dumb and forgetful for these to even exist?
AirTags seemed like an inexpensive way of "lojacking" things that might get stolen. But it turns out your post that started at -1 is actually 100% correct. Apple intends these things only to be sold to people who frequently lose their own stuff and then go through scavenger hunts in their own home. If anyone other than you ends up in possession of something with an AirTag, it will happily alert them to its presence, even if that person is a scumbag thief.
If they can forcibly update it, you don't own it (Score:1)
So, if I'm understanding this correctly, if you bought AirTags with the intention of tracking property which might get stolen (a vehicle, your coat, etc.), Apple plans to update them to make them useless for that purpose. Faster "you are being tracked" alerts will allow a thief to be promptly alerted to the AirTag's presence.
If Apple intended AirTags to be only for scatterbrained folks who misplace things, then they should provide a refund to anyone who bought one intending to use it for anti-theft purpose
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Just make them two-way (Score:1)
Crippling a great product (Score:1)
AirTags are awesome for finding lost items. I put one on my kid's keychain because he keeps loosing the keys to his bicycle at school. Because of all these anti-stalking features, his teacher is becoming annoyed because the damn thing keeps beeping in the classroom, brings up alerts on their iPhone, etc. It's becoming worse than useless.
I can't go out with my partner anywhere without having an AirTag alert, because she has one in her wallet.
Either make the product actually useful, or just don't create it at
Better stalker laws/enforcement? (Score:2)
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Of course. Stalking is criminal behavior in basically every jurisdiction out there. Proving it has generally b
Data point (Score:2)
Airtags are far from the only tech for doing this; they actually aren't even particularly good at it.
Another example is a Tracki; I looked at this for locating my cat. It works by GPS or geolocates from visible wi-fi network APs and then bangs the data back on a timer or real time via 4G. The only advantage an airtag has over it is battery life.
Non-Affiliate amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Tracki-... [amazon.com]
Just remove the speaker (Score:2)
Removing the speaker makes an Airtag undetectable. It is also trivial to do. https://youtu.be/sgGNShP9H8A [youtu.be]