I’ve got a different view on this, I use airtags as basic tracking devices on my more valuable items, ie laptop, bikes, suitcases etc, I’ve even hidden them in our cars. So this now means if these items are stolen the thieves can identify and find/remove the tags. Other than now sticking these tags on car keys or the dog they have no real use & sales are bound to suffer - I know of large numbers of people also using these legally as secondary/budget security devices. Yes the speaker has to be removed but that takes 5 mins.
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Apple Announces AirTag Updates to Address Unwanted Tracking
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I think you either missed the point or are not familiar with projects like this.
Satisfying the conceptual use case is only half the process. If that much.
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Exactly, I use them the same way and now they’ll have no use. The assumption is that Samsung and tile will follow suit. Nice idea but ruined even though it’s a minority thing and each tag can be tracked to an apple user ID
When I picked up my SUV from the dealer after service , they keep the keys on a wallboard. A number of key rings had multiple keys on them. Single key rings were the exception.
I don't remember any having an AT. Then again I wasn't really looking for that.
I don’t care much about the stalking thing, I think that’s an issue that’s WAY overblown. But regardless, I have two questions/takeaways.
Apple today announced that it is making some updates to AirTags with the aim of cutting down on unwanted tracking. There are several changes that will be implemented in a multi-phase rollout.
In an upcoming software update, Apple plans to implement new privacy warnings that will show up during AirTag setup to thwart malicious use. The warning will make it clear that the AirTag is linked to an Apple ID, that using it to track people is a crime, and that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag. Apple says that the language of the alert could change slightly, but it will basically convey the following information:Apple is also going to fix a bug that was causing confusion around unwanted tracking. AirPods can cause an "Unknown Accessory Alert" warning that some people were interpreting as a notice from an AirTag. AirTags are not able to display the "Unknown Accessory Detected" messaging, which is caused by AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, third-generation AirPods, and in some cases, a Find My network accessory.
In the upcoming software update, AirPods will properly identify themselves so people will no longer see the confusing "Unknown Accessory" messaging.
Along with making these software updates, Apple is updating its Unwanted Tracking support article to provide more information on the safety features built into AirTag, AirPods, and Find My network accessories. There are expanded explanations on which accessories can trigger an unwanted tracking alert, visuals on what those alerts look like, and more detailed information on what users should do after receiving such an alert.
The documentation is much more detailed than the prior support information, and it also includes links to resources that people can use if they feel their safety is at risk as well as clear instructions on finding and disabling an AirTag.
While these are the immediate changes that Apple is making, Apple is also working on new safety features set to be implemented later this year. Precision Finding, improved display alerts, and louder sounds will make AirTags more difficult to use for people-tracking purposes.
There is no specific timeline for when these new features might be released, but Apple has them in the works for later in 2022. These updates are designed for Apple product users, and Apple has nothing to announce on the Android front today.
- Precision Finding - iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 users who receive an unwanted tracking alert can locate an unknown AirTag with precision, similar to the Precision Finding feature that's available to AirTag owners. The feature will provide the distance and direction to an unknown AirTag when it is in range, making it easier to locate.
- Display alert with sound - When an AirTag separated from its owner plays a sound to alert those nearby, it will also display an alert on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch so that it can be tracked down by sound or Precision Finding if the feature is available. Apple says that this feature will help if the AirTag sound is hard to hear or if the speaker has been tampered with.
- Updated unwanted tracking alerts - Apple is going to update its alert system to notify users earlier that an unknown AirTag or Find My network accessory may be traveling with them.
- Louder AirTag sound - When an iOS user receives an unwanted tracking alert, they can cause the AirTag to play a sound to make it easier to track down. Apple is going to adjust the tone sequence to use more of the loudest tones to make AirTags louder and easier to find.
In addition to announcing updates to AirTags, Apple explained that AirTags privacy has always been a priority. Unwanted tracking "has long been a societal problem," according to Apple, which is why AirTags were initially built with privacy in mind with the "first-ever proactive system" designed to provide unwanted tracking alerts.
Apple says that it is listening to user feedback and innovating to make continued improvements to prevent unwanted tracking, so there could be additional changes happening in the future, including for Android users.
Unwanted AirTag tracking has not gone under Apple's radar, and the company said that it has been working with law enforcement in situations where AirTags are used for malicious purposes. Every AirTag has a unique serial number and AirTags are associated with an Apple ID. Apple is able to provide paired account details when requested by law enforcement, and it has indeed partnered with the police on cases where the information Apple offered was able to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator, who was apprehended and charged.
Apple has been "actively working" with law enforcement on all AirTag-related requests that it has received. The company says that based on discussions with law enforcement, "incidents of AirTag misuse are rare," but even one instance is too many.
Both the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the National Center for Victims of Crime have said that Apple's safety system is raising awareness of unwanted tracking and starting a conversation about victim safety. From Erica Olsen, director of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence:Since AirTags were released last April, there have been a growing number of news stories about the AirTags being used for stalking people or stealing items like cars through the tracking features. Apple has been criticized for a safety system that does not go far enough in protecting users, especially those who do not have Apple devices. Apple has in response already made several changes to the way that AirTags operate and released an app for Android users that scans for nearby AirTags, and hopefully the changes coming later this year will further deter the use of AirTags for unwanted tracking.
Article Link: Apple Announces AirTag Updates to Address Unwanted Tracking
1. Does this mean apple is going to do something to stop family members or other close individuals from getting alerts about their friends/family members’ AirTags?
2. What if someone steals your stuff on purpose, to get you in trouble for stalking, almost like a form of swatting? Then it’s just he said/she said, and there are plenty of crazy people of both sexes who’d do that. In general, I’m not a big fan of Apple cozying up to law enforcement.
If the answer to number one is no, and they don’t have an answer for number two, then this is just going to make my AirTags less valuable.
Yes. AirTags are for misplaced items. For stolen items you’ll want to look at other GPS services.
Buy any of the small inexpensive GPS+cellular trackers thatve been on the market for a good while.
None of them alert your target.
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#1 shouldn’t happen at your home location as I understand it, and would only get an alert if the other persons had been gone a few hours and you take their AirTag with you somewhere.
#2 Seems rather far fetched and would require them to activate an AirTag with your phone, and then stash it. Still not much to build a criminal case over so if your actions don’t match. I suppose if you have a crazy ex with access to your phone it might be a good idea to periodically check your FindMy.
Also not sure for #2 how you’d avoid them buying any of the various GPS trackers on the market if they really wanted to try to frame you.
All in all seems pretty far fetched…. Unless you’ve been less than discerning in who you’ve had in your life…. ?
Well whatever it is, roughly 50/50 no? Still leaves a huge number of users exposed.
But that's because people expect better from Apple - given Apple's very public push for privacy on the iPhones since practically day one. And Tile is smallfry so is Samsung gizmo. so the odds are slim that its accurate anyway. Apple is very accurate because of the sheer number of iPhones and other devices the AirTags ping off.
Nobody trusts Samsung or Tile with privacy, but people do trust Apple with it. Hence why they should have worked with Google to integrate the alerts.
Small inexpensive gps+cellular trackers were readily available well before AirTags came along.
Good changes — very proactive. Perhaps someone will even figure out a way to reverse engineer the tag so that the victim can be pointed to the Apple ID associated with the tag — and they could take matters into their own hands…
Yeah, that's not stuff they're going to be able to request on a warrant in most cases. Requesting all other devices on the same IP is going to be a VERY HARD ask. In most cases, they wouldn't even be able to get access to such records, even if they were able to get a warrant for such.
For the quazillionth time, no. Because the system will only put it into that mode if it’s away from its owner.
Wouldn’t it be better on a large high value asset like a car to use a GPS tracker with it’s own cell plan? Or even repurpose an old iPhone that you can connect to the vehicle power and hide. I assume it is possible to get a really cheap data plan for about $100 per year.
You really don’t need to hack the AirTag since the stalker is already attempting to follow the victim. Just lay some bait out for them and let them reveal themselves.
A good point, but I think it’s a bit of a false equivalence. Not really the same thing as billions of tech consumers suddenly being romanced by a tech giant into buying shiny new tech products that allow them to lose their car keys without consequence and that also just happen to be covert digital surveillance tech.
People warned about unforeseen consequences and repercussions with these things long before they were released. They were largely dismissed, and yet now here we are with Apple scrambling to add mitigations. Some will disagree, of course, and that’s fine, but personally I think these kinds of devices are a slippery slope. Full Pandora‘s Box.
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Shouldn't you want the thief to be tracked, and shouldn't the thief find you tracking them to be "unwanted tracking"?
If the thief riding your bike away or carrying your Nintendo Switch carry case with a tag in it gets alerted then what's the point of these tags. If your bike is where you last left it then why would you need to track it.