I think they claim putting privacy at customer's control. Up to you to control your own privacy. Much like good luck with the tools! Good luck dealing with malicious users, I have to scan my car everyday (something like that).
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Sale of 'Silent AirTags' on eBay and Etsy Raises Privacy Concerns
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I think they claim putting privacy at customer's control. Up to you to control your own privacy. Much like good luck with the tools! Good luck dealing with malicious users, I have to scan my car everyday (something like that).
Correction, they don’t “become” easy, they’ve BEEN easy ever since the government set up a dragnet of satellites all over the world.
Except it's not fully at your control here
People are stalking folks using AirTags and all the iOS devices out in the wild as the detection network.
It's a messy situation
Glad they didn't. It's not Apple's problem what people do with items. They made them have sound and put in precautions. Just like you can't blame gun mfg for creating a product people use in terrible ways, you shouldn't blame Apple for people using air tags the wrong way...or hell, using there computers to make explict child content etc
I would love a silent airtag that I could put inside my bike as a theft tracker so it would go unoticed.
It is a little bit here.
They created a unique situation by enabling a dragnet of "all iOS devices out in the world".
It has implications and liabilities that are fairly novel and that need consideration.
There could also be issues with negative brand image which Apple takes very seriously. Especially since they are working hard to brand themselves as a privacy focused company.
That is a fair point and something to consider, but I still stand by what I say. They have put measures in to protect consumers, if people modify them they can't do much. I suppose they could maybe do a software update to make them not work at all if the speaker is disabled phsyically.
I agree and frankly it's why releasing AirTags at all was a curious choice.
We know the real reason - they are $25-29 each and Apple is all about selling overpriced little dongles, cases, adapters and accessories now.
I'm just not sure that's enough honestly.
They've put themselves in a really tough spot.
The key differentiator for AirTags is how discrete they are and how they are "found" by zillions of iOS devices out in the wild.
And what exactly would that do when there’s Reddit threads that will openly discuss that very thing?
This is the Internet, once something is publicly disseminated with a vulnerability like this, there’s no hiding it. The only thing that can be done now, is Apple takes actions on how to fix this.
GPS/LTE trackers are no longer necessarily bulky, though they don't have the months long battery life of Airtags.
Only real functional difference is how long before the stalker would need to swap out the device for a fully charged one.
An additional issue I have with this product and how Apple is handling things is that you can't opt out of being part of the AirTag tracking network without losing the ability to track your own lost or stolen iPhone
So Apple is forcing you to be part of their dragnet, for their business reasons, simply to keep having the ability to track your own lost or stolen phone.
Given that iPhones have ways to broadcast their location without needing reference to nearby iOS devices, that's an unacceptable trade off.
They should change that and allow any of us to opt out of helping to track AirTags if we'd prefer.
So Apple is forcing you to be part of their dragnet, for their business reasons, simply to keep having the ability to track your own lost or stolen phone.
Given that iPhones have ways to broadcast their location without needing reference to nearby iOS devices, that's an unacceptable trade off.
They should change that and allow any of us to opt out of helping to track AirTags if we'd prefer.
A key point I'm glad you spelled out
Also, just because there are other ways to do shady stuff, doesn't absolve Apple here.
The bar for conduct is not and should not be "people have other ways to do creepy or illegal things so Apple is all good"
Unfortunately allowing people to opt out of being a provider on the network while opting into it as a consumer would negate the value of being in it at all.
Which is an Apple business problem that should be of no concern to a given user.
It's not my job to help them make money selling AirTags
... at the moment they buy the product it becomes their personal property.
Colorware's been doing this for a long time with myriad products. See their custom-painted Airpods for example.
... and why on earth wouldn't you use the product's name when offering it for sale?
You conveniently deleted the real key point: that the only real functional difference is how long before the stalker would need to swap out the device for a fully charged one.
There's also the part where there's an alert on any iphone the not-with-its-owner airtag spends too much time near. While the subject of the stalker may not have an iOS device, in much of the world it's likely rather improbable they'd never be around friends/family long enough to trigger the alert.
If your premise is that products which bring benefit to millions of people shouldn't exist because they be cause harm to a few, then I look forward to your campaigns to ban automobiles, airliners, motorcycles, alcoholic beverages, and any other sort of thing which is beneficial when used properly yet can be misused by those up to no good.
Regardless of how hard corporations like Apple try to force customers to use their products the way they want them to be used this is not possible once it leaves the store. Apple must be number one when it comes to "you're using it wrong".
I'm not advocating using products for bad uses but it happens all the time. Does Apple prevent people from calling to buy drugs with their iPhones? It's just not possible. The only thing it does is make it harder for customers to use the product for what they need. I wouldn't mind putting an AirTag on my 2k bicycle but it's just too much trouble.
My premise is really that Apple should consider whether they want to be a part of these concerns at all. This is the "privacy is #1" company after all, and they don't have to offer this type of product at all (obviously). They could simply let folks use 3rd party ways to do these things if they wanted.
That aside..
Would you at least agree that I, an an independent non AirTag iOS user, should still be able to opt out of being a part of the AirTag network?
(Without losing my ability to find my own lost phone using only it's built in last known GPS location)
Is that a fair expectation if I just personally want no part of the AirTag dragnet?
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I'd love that. I want to be able to use Find My on my own devices and maybe my family member's devices. I'd rather not participate in Apple's wider network. If that's possible, sign me up.
What Apple needs to do is have some kind of firmware lock so that when the speaker is disabled, the device bricks itself. Simple. Is that possible? Not a programmer, so I don't know if this would be foolproof, or easily overcome?