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Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

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Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#231

Post by marci »

mortenjorck wrote: post #183
InTheArena wrote: post #172

The interesting thing is that I have seen multiple reports of this ( think this is is the third), but in every case, they have destroyed it, lost it, or thrown it away before hand - not given it to the police. Apple can't tell who the devices is from signals in the wild, but they can figure out who it is if someone gives them the physical device. (Apple tracks the serial number of the device, and from what I understa…

I have a feeling the interaction with the police in a lot of jurisdictions would go something like: “This person at this address tried to track me without my consent! Here’s the documentation from Apple!” “Ma’am, has the person at this address murdered you?” “No.” “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do right now. If this person does murder you, please call 911 immediately.”

That is, if you're lucky and they understand what you're talking about.

You'll probably have to spend some time explaining how it works, why it is a serious issue, and then probably be dismissed.

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#232

Post by pengaru »

taylorfinley wrote: post #222
pengaru wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is news just because it's an Apple device being used for something that was already trivially possible. Or it's news because unlike GPS trackers, AirTags create the ability to be psychologically abusive to victims by attaching them to cars or dropping them in purses at little cost, risk, or effort. Wanna take a guess as to how many assholes out there just want to make a mouthy cunt from the bar lose sleep vs.…

>Wanna take a guess as to how many assholes out there just want to make a mouthy cunt from the bar lose sleep Hey it might be easy to forget we're talking about a real person here, and I'm sure you mean this is how a hypothetical person could be perceived by another hypothetical person, but this kind of language directed at a victim of a stalking attempt feels really icky.

Just emphasizing the reality of how assholes in bars can view and treat people, which is part of the point being made; it's icky, and there's plenty of that to go around. Now there's AirTags at their disposal, for better or worse.

For the record I'm a mouthy cunt in a bar after a few drinks.

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#233

Post by xyst »

mortenjorck wrote: post #183
InTheArena wrote: post #172

The interesting thing is that I have seen multiple reports of this ( think this is is the third), but in every case, they have destroyed it, lost it, or thrown it away before hand - not given it to the police. Apple can't tell who the devices is from signals in the wild, but they can figure out who it is if someone gives them the physical device. (Apple tracks the serial number of the device, and from what I understa…

I have a feeling the interaction with the police in a lot of jurisdictions would go something like: “This person at this address tried to track me without my consent! Here’s the documentation from Apple!” “Ma’am, has the person at this address murdered you?” “No.” “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do right now. If this person does murder you, please call 911 immediately.”

At the very least, a report should be made. If something does happen, at least there's a paper trail and they would be highest on the list of suspects. Could be used as evidence to get a restraining order as well.

If the person does indeed get near to the victim, then the police can actually do something since they are in violation of a court order.

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#234

Post by lazide »

kadoban wrote: post #225
lazide wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beating up on Apple for making something LESS able to be abused and more transparent/understandable just seems disingenuous though? The difference in level of abuse for something that will actively draw attention to itself after some period of time vs something of the same cost that was previously widely available and was more subtle and would not, is pretty big. And it is in the favor of Apple not being abusive or f…

So if there exists anyone who does something slightly worse, everyone else gets a pass? Our prisons will be emptier at least.

So if someone makes something better and not a good idea to abuse, they’re terrible?

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#235

Post by pengaru »

smohare wrote: post #227
pengaru wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is news just because it's an Apple device being used for something that was already trivially possible. Or it's news because unlike GPS trackers, AirTags create the ability to be psychologically abusive to victims by attaching them to cars or dropping them in purses at little cost, risk, or effort. Wanna take a guess as to how many assholes out there just want to make a mouthy cunt from the bar lose sleep vs.…

I suspect your estimate of the commonality of such behavior reflects more on you and your social group’s predilections than anything

> I suspect your estimate of the commonality of such behavior reflects more on you and your social group’s predilections than anything

I said nothing of the commonality, only the relative proportions. You're the one assuming things in absolute terms.

Do you disagree that there's probably more people out there wishing to cause someone to lose sleep vs. steal cars and abduct people? If so, see above quoted text.

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#236

Post by ClumsyPilot »

educaysean wrote: post #186
godelski wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends how you were caught. On your back reaching up? No. On your knees? Yeah. Consider that this tag was placed in the wheel well, which doesn't require getting on your back and would only take a few seconds. It isn't like someone is there for a significant period of time. Especially since you can then produce said AirTag after inquiry and people will generally believe the claim even if suspicious. All you have to…

Your argument isn't very convincing. AirTags are one of the few location tracker that the public can recognize by sight and identify its use. This makes AirTags much less effective for use by malicious actors than other generic black-plastic case electronics.

My friend just had someone jack up his car and hack off a catalytic converter with a hacksaw in broad daylight, to steal it. How long does it take to place an airtag, 3 seconds? I think the chances of you being caught placing an airtag are slim to none.

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#237

Post by briffle »

kemayo wrote: post #86

This is news just because it's an Apple device being used for something that was already trivially possible. GPS trackers designed to be magnet-attached to a car which report their location via cell signal cost ~$20 on Amazon. You then tend to need to pay for either a SIM card or a subscription to the device maker's service -- bringing you up to about the cost of an AirTag. These are much harder to detect, as you mig…

And both should be simple for the police to link to the owner, if they are reported. Maybe a bit less so for a SIM card, but that AirTag is registered with someone’s phone

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#238

Post by jjallen »

kemayo wrote: post #86

This is news just because it's an Apple device being used for something that was already trivially possible. GPS trackers designed to be magnet-attached to a car which report their location via cell signal cost ~$20 on Amazon. You then tend to need to pay for either a SIM card or a subscription to the device maker's service -- bringing you up to about the cost of an AirTag. These are much harder to detect, as you mig…

Trivially possible? I wouldn’t know how to use or where to buy a GPS tracker. I’m sure it’s not super hard. But not as easy as an airtag.

But now anyone with an iPhone can buy a $25 device and track anyone. I would guess that Airtags are also smaller than gps trackers.

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#239

Post by kadoban »

lazide wrote: post #234
kadoban wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So if there exists anyone who does something slightly worse, everyone else gets a pass? Our prisons will be emptier at least.

So if someone makes something better and not a good idea to abuse, they’re terrible?

"better" does not mean good. This _is_ easy to abuse, which is my issue with it.

The protections in the system feel more like PR shields than effective deterrents.

Re: Someone attached an AirTag to my car while I was in a bar

#240

Post by NicoJuicy »

kemayo wrote: post #86

This is news just because it's an Apple device being used for something that was already trivially possible. GPS trackers designed to be magnet-attached to a car which report their location via cell signal cost ~$20 on Amazon. You then tend to need to pay for either a SIM card or a subscription to the device maker's service -- bringing you up to about the cost of an AirTag. These are much harder to detect, as you mig…

> In fact, this is news we're hearing about because of the steps Apple took to make it harder to use these devices for bad purposes.

I've got Android. Where do i see a warning?

Ps. No, people with Android will not have a Apple app installed. It's the wrong solution for that problem.

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