New York Attorney General Issues AirTag Consumer Alert Over Stalking Concerns

[Harnao]

LOL. They forget Tile and everyone else that makes tags has the same issue but doesn't even attempt to alert like Apple does?

I actually wonder if the “controversy” around air tags isn’t being pushed by tile behind the scenes. I’ve seen virtually 0 warning news stories for tile.

 

[IamTimCook]

Perhaps this one just works really, really well- and it does- given that iDevices facilitating making it work are everywhere?

GPS trackers work even better. They can tell you exactly where someone is, with meter precision, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where there isn’t an iPhone near for thousands of miles.

 

[Ortiz83]

Forget if it alerts you or not. A company made these tags for good use. It’s not their fault if someone chose to use them for bad intentions. If a group of people bought 3 vans to rob a bank, should they not allow dealerships to sell vans anymore?

 

[mi7chy]

Ironic that a company that markets privacy creates a tracking device to violate everyone's privacy.

 

[IamTimCook]

Apple did make their whole "interconnected" ecosystem available for this on an unprecedented level,

Wrong. GPS trackers work waaaaay better and don’t even need a network of phones. A GPS tracker can tell you where it is at in the middle of the Pacific without an iPhone around for thousands of miles, with meter precision.

 

[I7guy]

Ironic that a company that markets privacy creates a tracking device to violate everyone's privacy.

Didn’t the decline of privacy start with “find my iPhone?”

 

[IamTimCook]

GPS. Range is only 5 miles.

What!? GPS is global, it’s literally in the name. GPS devices can tell tell you where the device is in the middle of the Pacific. I think you’re mixing up tech.

 

[nikaru]

Statistics for NY related to February 2022: 28 murders, 128 rapes, 1251 robberies, 1736 felony assaults... this is just one month. But the few dumbheads using AirTag to stalk someone are the true problem to the public safety.

 

[MysticCow]

This isn't a new issue. Tile and other such devices have been around for awhile. The only reason anyone keeps talking about AirTags tracking people is because Apple has been proactive in notifying people when they are being tracked. How many people would have found out if Apple didn't have the notifications in place?

It isn't a new issue, but for women, people of color, LGBTQ+, AAPI, etc, this is a serious threat. At the risk of sounding "woke," being tracked without your knowledge by ANY METHOD, not just AirTag, is something to be highly concerned about.

DISCLAIMER: I identify as one of those I mentioned. The concept of being tracked like this for future hate crimes against me is quite scary and somewhat realistic.

 

[Iconoclysm]

AirTags with disabled speakers (so they can’t beep) are easy to buy.
These things should all be recalled and the service dismantled.

The service is not only built around AirTags, it's the entire Find My network. If smartphones were cheaper, you could get the same results (even better actually) putting a smartphone in someone's bag. Common sense should tell you that this is nothing that AirTags caused or that removing AirTags could prevent. It's just now gotten the visibility it always should have...

Seriously, have you never watched a spy movie? This crap has been going on for nearly 100 years now.

 

[Iconoclysm]

It isn't a new issue, but for women, people of color, LGBTQ+, AAPI, etc, this is a serious threat. At the risk of sounding "woke," being tracked without your knowledge by ANY METHOD, not just AirTag, is something to be highly concerned about.

DISCLAIMER: I identify as one of those I mentioned. The concept of being tracked like this for future hate crimes against me is quite scary and somewhat realistic.

You're absolutely right, and you should probably give some kudos to Apple here for even making it possible to find out that you're being tracked.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Perhaps this one just works really, really well- and it does- given that iDevices facilitating making it work are everywhere?

I picked up a few of these for car and bike, mostly as some kind of bit of hope that should either get stolen, I might be able to use this to help track it down. I'm STUNNED at how well the whole system works. Away from the car in a public lot one day for hours and I just took a few peeks from time to time to see that location was (usually) "updated minutes ago" over and over.

Ironically(?), I wish these did NOT have the little speaker, as I wouldn't want to make it easy for the car or bike thief to find them when they are doing the crime. And yes, I'm aware of how to open them up and remove the speaker... and will likely want to do that soon.

The much smaller competitors may have equally good tracking toys but perhaps the system doesn't work as well overall.

AND, of course, big names yields big news yields big voter attention. For example, thousands of individual traders likely engage in some level of insider trading every month but only the occasional bigger name- like Martha Stewart- seems to get prosecuted. Why? Because politicians/agencies want to show that they are doing SOMETHING and news is a free way to do that. Prosecute Noname Smith for insider trading and you might not even get a news story about it. Prosecute a celebrity and you'll likely get a lot of free PR.

Go after Apple for anything and that will get big news that the GOV is doing something. Go after the micro, NoName Corp that has only 1000 trackers in the wild and there will be no news in that. Same energy, very different PR result.

All of the little providers now have access to the Find My API, I'd bet one of them could even use it to create a device solely made for tracking people maliciously. But really, people tracking a person can use any RF device to do it, far cheaper than with an airtag and an iphone, and since they're following you they'd only have to stay in a football field's range.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Sorry if this is a stupid question: since it warns you that a tag is tracking you, is there a way to see whose it is and have it disabled?

It does provide the info of the person tracking you but I'm not sure how easy it is to hide that.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Ironic that a company that markets privacy creates a tracking device to violate everyone's privacy.

Is it ironic that they're the only company who created a tracking device that alerts people that they're being tracked? Imagine if they had not gotten involved, it wouldn't even be news, it would just happen insteadl.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Forget if it alerts you or not. A company made these tags for good use. It’s not their fault if someone chose to use them for bad intentions. If a group of people bought 3 vans to rob a bank, should they not allow dealerships to sell vans anymore?

I was going to make a joke about guns and how they need to be registered...but vans need to be registered...and Apple is the only company providing that same functionality to their tracking devices.

 

[Iconoclysm]

I wonder what Apples combined legal salary a year is.

At an average of $200k a year salary, with probably 1000 attorneys on staff, $200 million is my guess.

 

[SRLMJ23]

Leave it to New York State (my state) to do something stupid like this!

 

[mikethemartian]

So if stalkers start using burner iPhones and Apple IDs the only way Apple will be able to help the police is giving them GPS data for the connected iPhone.

 

[mikethemartian]

The only REAL way is to completely go off the grid. Dump the cell phone. Even with the most strict security for personal use, the thing still has to ping a tower regularly. It’s just not realistically possible for average people to avoid being tracked and its baked into every app and every website. And tons of websites bug the hell out of you if you have blockers installed. Soooo yeah.

Also remember don’t go into a bookstore and purchase The Catcher in the Rye.

 

[mikethemartian]

I think part of the recent changes is that when your phone notifies you that there is an AirTag, you can elect to disable the tracking.

But then that undermines their usefulness to track stolen items.

 

[mikethemartian]

The real issue is stealth stalking tech exists for not a lot of money, and yet apple is being singled out.

Fame is a double edged sword.

 

[mikethemartian]

It is true GPS tracking has existed way before Apple invented their AirTag or Find My network. It's more accessible to track people with AirTags than AcmeTags. Why? Because Apple makes products that work really well, and Acmetags not so much. Also, AcmeTags don't alert the user they are being tracked.

*AcmeTags is a fictional product used only for example.

I buy all my anvils and dynamite exclusively from Acme.

 

[I7guy]

Fame is a double edged sword.

Exactly what I'm saying. With all this rightful attention to anti-stalking, it could be a possibility, the nefarious start to shy away from airtags and start to use stealth tech, which is readily available.

 

[Tagbert]

But then that undermines their usefulness to track stolen items.

Apple has always said that they are not designed to track stolen goods. Just lost items. Usefulness to track stolen items is not a product requirement.

 

[jeffpeng]

I guess Apple will come to regret that they opened this Pandora's Box. Not because they are at fault (you actually must be pretty stupid to use AirTags to track anything with malicious intent), but because it is just another stick they handed their own government to hit them with.