AirTag Anti-Stalking Measures 'Just Aren't Sufficient' Says Washington Post Report

[KeithJenner]

Not sure how many people would think to download the app since I am assuming not many people are worried that they are being stalked but at least its an option.

I suppose you could argue that the sort of person who is likely to be stalked is probably aware of the fact, so may well download the app if it was available.

Most people seem to think that they are more interesting to others than is actually the case.

People actually being aware of the issue could be a problem though. I always find it quite amazing how many people are totally oblivious about things like this. I still meet people who don't know what AirPods are, for example.

 

[Maconplasma]

It's true Apple never claimed it "can't" be used for tracking someone (their website says "AirTag is designed to discourage unwanted tracking" not to prevent it), but them saying it's "not meant" for tracking isn't really a rebuttal to someone claiming Apple said it "can't" track anyone (because "not meant to do something" isn't necessarily equivalent to "can't do something" . . . cars aren't meant to kill people, but they can, for example).

Well whatever people use them for that Apple doesn't support and that ends in tragedy is on the user, not Apple. What I've noticed on this forum is some here like to play the victim when it's 100% their fault, but refuse to take any responsibility for their actions and somehow try to find a way to blame Apple just because Apple is a giant. This is not gonna go well for people attempting to misuse the Airtags.

 

[sirozha]

The Find my Phone is old, the Find My network is not. Different technologies. The latter was introduced two years ago. There is a separate toggle to turn each of them off.

Fair enough. What's the issue? There's a toggle to turn it off, so if one doesn't want to risk being tracked, just turn that toggle off.

 

[FierceCorgi]

If the person being stalked isn't an apple product owner, there is no way for them to know they're being stalked. I'd hedge that apple's banking on this fact being an incentive for more sales.

So your assumption is that Apple believes Android users will decide to buy iPhones so that they can avoid being stalked by people with AirTags?

Okay.

 

[cocoua]

You can track android users, this means Apple users could stealthy track “just” the other 90% of humans n the planet.

if this airtag thing works this way and FCC allowed it, I’m afraid what Apple/google/facebook glasses would do recording 24/7 everything but ey!! They would have a green indicator so anyone on the street or the club would know...

nano tracker chips in your veins are coming!!!

Affordable tracking system has been available for a while but this airtag, as it was cameras before smartphones, but is the spread they are, the more privacy concerns they create.

i love apple but seriously, I cant inderstand how a public organism as is FCC or whatever has approved this, and hope Europe apply stronger regulations over it.

 

[crazy dave]

Fair enough. What's the issue? If there's a toggle to turn it off, and one doesn't want to risk being tracked, just turn that toggle off.

The issue is that someone could still use an AirTag to track you - just like with an Android phone. Now this is where you and I part ways on how effective that would be. As long as there are enough other iPhone users plugged into the network where you go, that will still work. Though I agree that people really wanting to track someone will just get a hidden gps tracker. The problem with AirTags will be their ubiquity and ease of use. Not adding to a problem is a good thing.

Some of the additional safeguards that were mentioned in the article would be good to implement, others more difficult and not necessarily worth it since there are other ways to track people if they really want to do that. The various companies agreeing to at least allow notifications of traveling unknown tags would be useful for this but also even just useful for returning lost items. (Obviously not if the person is stealing it though 😒)

 

[smoking monkey]

Apple should build a kill switch into the iphone that you can turn on and any airtags around you can't find you. Or it can ping you the locations of airtags around you.

EDIT: Seems there is a kill switch??? The Find My network???

 

[deevey]

Fair enough. What's the issue? If there's a toggle to turn it off, and one doesn't want to risk being tracked, just turn that toggle off.

That won't work. All it takes is one person within proximity to have an iDevice. So unless you live in an unpopulated area or a faraday cage....

I'm sure settings will be tweaked over time and AI will be able to tell better if movement is consistent with being tagged vs lost vs theft.

I also reckon we'll see that signing up for a new Apple ID may, in the future require some form of credit card authorization for in-app Tag tracking to operate to deter would-be stalkers/muggers using them in that way.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

You know you make a statement about lost and stolen items. I have seen a lot of comments saying AirTags are not for locating stolen items, only lost. This is not directed at you by no means but what would be the difference if you sat your back pack down walked off and forgot about it (lost item) versus you are sitting at your favorite outdoor diner and some dude on a bike rides by and steals your back pack (stolen) Either way you want your item back I am just not understanding why some people say they are only for lost items and not for stolen items.

Because in the latter case the thief will go somewhere 5 minutes away, look through your backpack take out any valuables, and toss it.
So tracking it for loss is unlikely to recover it. So it seems worthwhile to bias the system to lost items since an honest person will try to return it or maybe just hand it in to the store or wherever you were, so managing it so that stalkers can be dissuaded is a fair trade off.
However Apple seem to have done a poor job at that , plenty of videos showing people being tracked whilst using them ,and the system whereby it only alerts you once you are at home is bizarre since that allows a stalker to narrow down where you live to potentially the exact location.

 

[sirozha]

You wrote:

Turning off Find My let’s you disable others tracking you by your iPhone. It doesn’t disable your iPhone reporting someone else’s Airtag location.

I wrote:

No when you turn off Find My you are off the Find My network. You won't participate. Nobody can track you by your iPhone even if you are on the network. That's not how it works. They can use you to track other items and people that they are allowed to track. If just participating in the Find My network allowed anyone to track anyone participating that right there would be a massive privacy violation. You wouldn't need airtags to worry about stalking.

I'm sorry but what? In other words, what you wrote was wrong in both sentences. Find My Network doesn't let other people track you by your iPhone as you wrote (Turning off Find My let’s you disable others tracking you by your iPhone.) and turning it off does disable your iPhone reporting someone else's AirTag location (It doesn’t disable your iPhone reporting someone else’s Airtag location.) Turning off the Find My Network does not affect Find My iPhone (a separate toggle) which uses cell and GPS for you to find your own phone. Is that what you meant to write? Because it isn't what you wrote.

EDIT: Wait are you referring to family and friends who have given you permission to track them - i.e. turned share my location on? Because again, that's a different thing.

When I wrote Find My I meant Find My [device], which matches the name of the iOS app used to track Apple devices. I did not mean Find My Network. I don't understand how you can put your words in my mouth and then argue with me when I said nothing of the sort!

How to opt-out of Apple's ‘Find My’ network for lost & found AirTags

Apple’s Find my network and app have become a hub for lost and found items with an AirTag on them. Helping out a stranger find their lost keys, wallet, ID, etc., is very kind, but what if you didn't want to participate?

www.phonearena.com

This article clearly shows two different toggles:

• Find My [device] toggle
• Find My Network

The Find My [iPad, iPhone, etc.] toggle enables or disables your Apple device (on which this toggle is located) being tracked when it's online (Wi-Fi or LTE). If you turn off this toggle, you will also disable the Find My Network capability.

The Find My Network toggle enables or disables the ability to track an Airtag from this device or track the Apple device (on which this toggle is located) when the Apple device is off-line (no Wi-Fi and/or LTE connectivity) by leveraging Bluetooth communication with other Apple devices that are currently online. Additionally, you cannot be tracked by someone else's AirTag if you turn this toggle off because by the nature of your device no longer participating in the Find My network, your device no longer reports GPS coordinates of any Apple device in its vicinity detected via Bluetooth.

So, the Find My Network capability is an add-on to the Find My [device] capability. You can turn off Find My Network without turning off Find My [device], but if you turn off Find My [device], you will also disable Find My Network. And that's exactly what I initially said.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

All this AirTag stuff got me thinking..I'm gonna launch a Kickstarter for a line of backpacks, messenger bags, and purses that have a layer of conductive metal mesh completely surrounding the compartments and pockets. Anybody else want in on the FaraDayBag?

I already have one. Use it for my car keys to prevent wireless signal boosters allowing my car to be stolen. I've tested an airtag in it, it's not Locatable.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

Where can I get a device that tracks BT transmitters?

There are apps for both IOS and Android.

 

[GTDaveMac]

If you turn off Bluetooth, your Apple watch is still paired via Bluetooth. I don’t know if your phone will still participate in reporting the location of all Airtags it comes in contact with if your Bluetooth is turned off.
The amount of battery power this feature uses is probably very small.

Only if you turn off Bluetooth via Control Center. If you turn off Bluetooth using the on/off toggle in settings, it is entirely off, including connections to Apple Watch as well as Find My network.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Fowler admits that Apple has done more to prevent AirTags from being used for stalking than other Bluetooth tracking device competitors like Tile, but there are still concerns that need to be addressed.

Translation:
Yeah, in reality, Apple’s done more than any other company that’s entered this market… but COME ON! Like I’m going to let a juicy clickbait opportunity like this slip past me?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I guess what we need is a device or app that can scan for all nearby BLE/UWB transmitters. That way if you’re worried about stalking or tracking devices you can find them easily!

But, if you scan for them, they know you’ve connected to them and can transmit your location to someone. FAR better to just keep your phone in a “Faraday Phone Case”. You won’t be able to receive calls or text messages or even literally touch your phone, BUT any security researcher will tell you that it’s a far more secure solution than NOT having it on.

 

[sirozha]

Apple should build a kill switch into the iphone that you can turn on and any airtags around you can't find you. Or it can ping you the locations of airtags around you.

EDIT: Seems there is a kill switch??? The Find My network???

AirTags around you don't find you. iPhones around you report to Apple their GPS location and the ID of the AirTag planted on you by someone.

 

[deevey]

Only if you turn off Bluetooth via Control Center. If you turn off Bluetooth using the on/off toggle in settings, it is entirely off, including connections to Apple Watch as well as Find My network.

You also need to turn off the U1

 

[The Other One]

Well, I mean, there's really nothing for it, is there? It's literally a tracking device. We've seen them in movies for decades. If a spy (stalker) decides to put a tracking device on your person/vehicle, then... welp, they know where you are. I guess just start sweeping for bugs next.

 

[crazy dave]

When I wrote Find My I meant Find My [device], which matches the name of the iOS app used to track Apple devices. I did not mean Find My Network. I don't understand how you can put your words in my mouth and then argue with me when I said nothing of the sort!

How to opt-out of Apple's ‘Find My’ network for lost & found AirTags

Apple’s Find my network and app have become a hub for lost and found items with an AirTag on them. Helping out a stranger find their lost keys, wallet, ID, etc., is very kind, but what if you didn't want to participate?

www.phonearena.com

This article clearly shows two different toggles:

• Find My [device] toggle
• Find My Network

The Find My [iPad, iPhone, etc.] toggle enables or disables your Apple device (on which this toggle is located) being tracked when it's online (Wi-Fi or LTE). If you turn off this toggle, you will also disable the Find My Network capability.

The Find My Network toggle enables or disables the ability to track an Airtag from this device or track the Apple device (on which this toggle is located) when the Apple device is off-line (no Wi-Fi and/or LTE connectivity) by leveraging Bluetooth communication with other Apple devices that are currently online. Additionally, you cannot be tracked by someone else's AirTag if you turn this toggle off because by the nature of your device no longer participating in the Find My network, your device no longer reports GPS coordinates of any Apple device in its vicinity detected via Bluetooth.

So, the Find My Network capability is an add-on to the Find My [device] capability. You can turn off Find My Network without turning off Find My [device], but if you turn off Find My [device], you will also disable Find My Network. And that's exactly what I initially said.

This post is accurate, your first post, the one I responded was not and is not. Re-read what you wrote. I was trying to tell you that neither Find My [Device] nor Find My Network behaved in the way you were initially describing. Again, this is what you wrote originally:

Turning off Find My let’s you disable others tracking you by your iPhone.

Neither Find My Device nor Find my network let others do this on or off.

[Turning off Find My] doesn’t disable your iPhone reporting someone else’s Airtag location.

As you wrote in your most recent post quoted in the block post above, turning either Find my device or Find my network disables the network and you will no longer report the location of others tags/devices. This is the opposite of what you wrote originally quoted here in italics. Also, remember you wrote this in response to me telling another poster that this can all be turned off, which is true. You were arguing with me, not the other way around.

Look we seem to be on the same page now.

 

[GTDaveMac]

You also need to turn off the U1

Negative. The first day I got my AirTags I wanted to test out the strength of the network and turned off Bluetooth to see how fast my AirTag could be found by others. Plus, you can see in the screenshot that you can't find a device with Bluetooth OFF. This is only if Bluetooth is entirely off, not toggled off in Control Center.

 

[hmmfe]

I suppose you could argue that the sort of person who is likely to be stalked is probably aware of the fact, so may well download the app if it was available.

Yeah, I think it’s likely that we are headed there eventually. While I don’t think it’s necessary, it’ll not be too much of a burden to just comply.

I’d have to think Apple has already thought of the liability aspect of airtags and either has what they think is a winning response or they have enhancements already in queue.

 

[dk001]

Already up on YouTube …

 

[person s]

Remember all the great anti-tracking features Tile had? No? Oh...

a few years ago, I had a tile attached to my keys when they were stolen during a burglary
a few weeks later I received an email from the tile telling me where it was
the police had already arrested the burglar, and I had replaced the keys, so it didn’t matter too much

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Already up on YouTube …

You could produce ANY video about AirTags right now and you’re practically guaranteed a million views. Maybe not as many new subs, but most certainly the views.

 

[cuestakid]

This may be a dumb question but how are the existing features of family sharing and Find My any different? Likewise, how is this different in principle from any of the medical devices out there that CAN track you and whomever you like?