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

[macrumors_12345]

What WaPo highlighted is that a stalker abuser could stuff an air tag in the bottom of their SO’s purse/bag - where any audible chime would be muffled - and if their SO uses android, he/she/they would be likely none the wiser, yet the stalker would have very accurate location data on them.

Let's be honest about this: the realistic use case for surreptitiously slipping AirTags into an SO's purse/backpack is when someone thinks their SO is cheating and wants to catch them in the act. (To be clear, I don't endorse this. I'm simply pointing out that it's the realistic use case.)

The reason that's the use case is that the AirTag, like any surreptitious tracker, is "one-and-done." If you're trying to use it to control the person's movements and prevent them from visiting certain places or people, then by definition you are going to have to reveal that you're tracking them. And if they consent to being tracked after that, then there's no reason you need to waste money on an AirTag or Tile; you would just turn on tracking on their phone.

 

[Xak444]

Not really a fair comparison. Apple's tracking is implemented through a worldwide network of millions of Apple devices. Tile's is not, so isn't nearly as powerful.

Is it not though you could still track a person with a tile. Assuming you get get the tile to work.

 

[Cndnmax]

Except that the only people who could track you would be the subscribers to Tile. AirTag opens this up to a huge network of people.

True, I guess you can’t be a picky stalker with tile.
really this is only an issue for Android users that live with an iPhone users (needed to do the tracking) since an iPhone user will be notified of the tag once they arrive at home or similar common location.

 

[twolf2919]

It’s not a balance if Apple are falsely claiming it can’t be used for tracking someone.

But Apple isn’t claiming that, so what’s your point?

 

[crazy dave]

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.

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.

 

[macrumors_12345]

The stalker has an iPhone in the scenario.

And is continuously following the stalked within BT range? Pretty sure they've got bigger problems than an errant AirTag then...

 

[gene731]

Amazon isn’t WaPo’s parent company.

Correct and my bad. I was just meaning that Bezos owns them both. I should have clarified that better.

 

[Xak444]

Let's be honest about this: the realistic use case for surreptitiously slipping AirTags into an SO's purse/backpack is when someone thinks their SO is cheating and wants to catch them in the act. (To be clear, I don't endorse this. I'm simply pointing out that it's the realistic use case.)

The reason that's the use case is that the AirTag, like any surreptitious tracker, is "one-and-done." If you're trying to use it to control the person's movements and prevent them from visiting certain places or people, then by definition you are going to have to reveal that you're tracking them. And if they consent to being tracked after that, then there's no reason you need to waste money on an AirTag or Tile; you would just turn on tracking on their phone.

Wait. Sometimes a person with an iPhone dates a person with an Android?

 

[goobot]

Jeez way to pull hairs

 

[crazy dave]

True, I guess you can’t be a picky stalker with tile.
really this is only an issue for Android users that live with an iPhone users (needed to do the tracking) since an iPhone user will be notified of the tag once they arrive at home or similar common location.

Yeah the correct answer is for all these companies to set up a shared notification system to alert users of possible tracking and to set features to prevent that like a button that will cause any tracking item from any of the companies within a few feet to make noise.

 

[crazy dave]

And is continuously following the stalked within BT range? Pretty sure they've got bigger problems than an errant AirTag then...

The short range stuff is only for exact, precise location. The Find my network gives you the ability to locate someone and then get into short range. That's point.

 

[crazy dave]

Can anybody tell me how Tile has managed all this time? I've never used it.

They've ignored the issue. As far as I can tell.

 

[macrumors_12345]

I don't know what the solution is. I'm tempted to say that Apple shouldn't be making their product worse for actual customers—after all, if you really wanted to follow someone, you'd probably want to invest in a proper GPS tracker—but I'm sure I'd feel differently if someone was stalking me.

You probably wouldn't, for precisely the reason you just said. Prior to this I had no idea about the state of GPS trackers, but doing a search for "cheap GPS tracker" literally turned up a $10 tracker with a $25/mo service (i.e. total cost almost identical to an AirTag) as the first result. It can last for weeks on one charge and works in all sorts of places that even AirTags won't (by virtue of having GPS). It was bigger than a Tile, but much smaller than a smartphone, with none of Apple anti-stalking features. They even advertised, "No one has to know it’s there but you!" Any actual stalkers are laughing at the idea that AirTags are somehow giving them something they didn't already have access to.

 

[KaliYoni]

1. The Washington Post is not owned by Amazon. Jeff Bezos does own the paper but it is held and managed separately from Amazon.
2. I read the Post every day. Geoffrey Fowler is by no means a shill. If anything, he is a a tech aficionado who is skeptical when appropriate.
3. I'm happy when journalists and reviewers try to move beyond the kind of starry-eyed cheerleading that runs rampant in the tech press. Tech companies too often are extremely myopic when it comes to UI, UX, privacy, and security. So when somebody with a large and influential readership can get firms to make their products better for all users, it's a good thing.

 

[crazy dave]

You probably wouldn't, for precisely the reason you just said. Prior to this I had no idea about the state of GPS trackers, but doing a search for "cheap GPS tracker" literally turned up a $10 tracker with a $25/mo service (i.e. total cost almost identical to an AirTag) as the first result. It can last for weeks on one charge and works in all sorts of places that even AirTags won't (by virtue of having GPS). It was bigger than a Tile, but much smaller than a smartphone, with none of Apple anti-stalking features. They even advertised, "No one has to know it’s there but you!" Any actual stalkers are laughing at the idea that AirTags are somehow giving them something they didn't already have access to.

This I generally agree with. However, adding more precautions in particular notifying non-iPhone users of the presence of an airtag traveling with them would be useful not only for further discouraging the use of the device for stalking, but also for people finding and returning lost items. (Note the system is not for stolen items anyway).

 

[cmaier]

1. The Washington Post is not owned by Amazon. Jeff Bezos does own the paper but it is held and managed separately from Amazon.
2. I read the Post every day. Geoffrey Fowler is by no means a shill. If anything, he is a a tech aficionado who is skeptical when appropriate.
3. I'm happy when journalists and reviewers try to move beyond the kind of starry-eyed cheerleading that runs rampant in the tech press. Tech companies too often are extremely myopic when it comes to UI, UX, privacy, and security. So when somebody with a large and influential readership can get firms to make their products better for all users, it's a good thing.

Where was his article about Tile not having *any* of apple’s anti-stalking features? He’s had a lot of years to get that done, right?

 

[xander49x]

Geoffrey Fowler is a moron. I would not believe anything he says.

 

[insomniac86]

I'm going on a hunt for a similar article from around the time the first generation Tile came out... don't wait for me...

Exactly!

Not to mention ALL the other brands that have been around for years now.

Honestly if i'm gonna stalk someone, i would go on ebay and buy a cheap GPS/Cellular tracker and get real time accurate tracking. The tech for being a stalker has been around for years and years. For the media and people to think this is some "new invention and issue" is nothing short of F***** pathetic.

 

[I7guy]

[…]What WaPo highlighted is that a stalker abuser could stuff an air tag in the bottom of their SO’s purse/bag - where any audible chime would be muffled - and if their SO uses android, he/she/they would be likely none the wiser, yet the stalker would have very accurate location data on them. This is largely contrary to Apple’s claims that the device is resistant to stalking.
[…]

I would think so, if in the proximity of other iPhones who have enabled this. If not stalker is out of luck. It’s much easier and more reliable to get your so you cooperate with location sharing in find my.

 

[crazy dave]

Where was his article about Tile not having *any* of apple’s anti-stalking features? He’s had a lot of years to get that done, right?

True but c'mon when Apple does something it is intrinsically a bigger deal than Tile and likely to have more of an impact. That said I wouldn't have minded more of a focus on encouraging industry wide best practices at least up to the minimum of what Apple has done. And there should be standards among the phone makers and tracking systems to allow them to notify users that they have a tracker with them even if they aren't part of the network and can't track items on it themselves. That would pretty much alleviate the concerns.

Of course it doesn't stop people from buying *actual GPU trackers* designed to do this (and without notifications) which aren't terribly expensive. But at least these companies, Apple, Google, Tile, etc, will have then taken all reasonable steps to ensure that they themselves ... aren't contributing to the problem.

 

[KaliYoni]

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?

 

[ckoerner]

"In any case, the competition’s short-comings should be the highlight of the article."

"So how does this compare to the competition?"

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

This is whataboutism and a kind of logical fallacy that turns me away from engaging in dialog.

The reporter wanted to write an article about Apple, not the competition nor the entire landscape of tracking technology. That's a valid focus (Apple is a very large consumer tech company and this product is new). In doing so they pointed out valid concerns that consumers might be interested to know. Apple can respond to those (with software updates or policy changes) or ignore them. The result is a better informed consumer.

 

[insomniac86]

Apple went to great lengths to make these devices really small and have great range, while also touting the anti-stalking tech. WaPo is right to critique the critical gaps that remain in that anti-stalking tech.

What WaPo highlighted is that a stalker abuser could stuff an air tag in the bottom of their SO’s purse/bag - where any audible chime would be muffled - and if their SO uses android, he/she/they would be likely none the wiser, yet the stalker would have very accurate location data on them. This is largely contrary to Apple’s claims that the device is resistant to stalking.

If Apple is serious about making this more resistant to stalkers, they would work with Google or otherwise provide an app in the Play store that could do android notifications of unknown airtags that “stick” with them.

This isn’t to say apple didn’t release a “good” product or to shame apple. It’s just always good to highlight where gaps are in tech - especially in lieu of the marketing - and where further work needs to be done.

And whats Title and others been offering for the last 6+ years?
Oh that's right.... NOTHING, no audio alerts, no notifications.

In fact i think Apple should have gone the same route as Title and offered no anti-stalking functionality.
As doing so makes AirTags useless against theft. They are only good for misplaced items.

 

[anek007]

Can anybody tell me how Tile has managed all this time? I've never used it.

They manage by having bad crowdsourcing 😂 Bluetooth trackers been around for a good 10 years. Initially it was meant to find stuff u misplace around your house or just last location. Now that Apple comes around. People make if a big deal about tracking since it’s easier to track your lost item. Double edge sword.

 

[KaliYoni]

Where was his article about Tile not having *any* of apple’s anti-stalking features? He’s had a lot of years to get that done, right?

Fowler mainly writes for a non-bleeding edge audience–for those who have been around for awhile, Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal is an obvious influence–in a newspaper based in Washington DC (where anything related to computers is still called "IT" by a lot of people!). So he probably hasn't written about Tile because there isn't much awareness of Tile beyond the sort of people who read tech rumors websites and camp out to buy gadgets on Release Day.