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Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

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Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#241

Post by quenix »

rolobio wrote: post #90
jdminhbg wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I attached an AirTag to an electric scooter, which I ended up returning. I forgot to remove the AirTag; I've been able to track the scooter over hundreds of miles with quick updates (even driving down a freeway). I've been having a fun time checking in on the scooter for months now. This describes how 99% of these "AirTags Used In Stalking Incident" stories come about.

Honestly I was worried I would have a knock at my door from this. The AirTag will make it quite clear who owns it. But I expect someone familiar with returned items will say "Oh, someone forgot to remove their AirTag again. Throw it in the garbage." So hopefully no knocks at my door.

As far as I know there is no way to determine the owner of an AirTag.

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#242

Post by privacyking »

rootusrootus wrote: post #49
paxys wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You absolutely can not. There are no GPS trackers for <$30 with an ~unlimited battery life and no subscription fees.

And there aren't any AirTags with the ability to track without notifying the target they are there. Trade-offs. The point is valid, though. AirTags do not enable something which wasn't already trivial to accomplish. At best it just makes it more visible to the general public, but stalkers have known how to use inexpensive GPS trackers for many years. What's dishonest is the media pretending that this is some new capa…

It only notifies the target if they own a iPhone, or have downloaded an app specifically to do this.

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#243

Post by [deleted] »

dylan604 wrote: post #151
smoldesu wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...but didn't open the protocol to third parties. In other words, it's as "open" as the lightning connector is: "pay us $x for every product you ship, and we won't sue you for using it" Apple's marketing must train in the Matrix for how good they are at dodging bullets...

at the same time, you are using the Apple network/infrastructure of iDevices that track that item for you. Every Apple device that passes your lost product helps find your product. Should they be doing that for free? Serious question.

[deleted]

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#244

Post by duxup »

rootusrootus wrote: post #201
duxup wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well you can have the iPad share its location ... that's a thing. How you do it depends on if your iPad is setup under a different apple ID or not (still can do it either way). My father in law who is older and prone to wandering off, I put an airtag on him while on vacation temporarily when we were out and about, and set his phone to share his location to the whole family all the time just to be save. It's very hand…

> Well you can have the iPad share its location ... that's a thing. As a member of my family account, his iPad does share its location. But only for 24 hours after the battery dies, at which point Apple will no longer show you were it was last found. And since it's only a WiFi iPad, it'll only report when attached to a network it knows about. And even in perfect circumstances, it doesn't work worth a crap. My daughte…

Yeah good point. A built in AirTag would be handy for zero power events.

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#245

Post by matthew-wegner »

nomel wrote: post #40
andrepew wrote: post #6

Not hard for a non-technical person to remove the speaker. Housing pops right open with a small flathead screwdriver. Then you just remove the speaker's magnet, no desoldering or anything like that required. Took 5 minutes. I did it to one of mine to use it to track my bicycle if it ever gets stolen.

If the thief has an iPhone, they'll still be alerted that the tracker is following them. If they move their phone around on your bike, they'll be able to find it, within several inches, with the NFC identification feature that gives the last four digits of the owners phone number. Maybe Apple's campaign is working: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/26/apple-doe...

I don't even have that expensive of a bike, but I have two on mine

There's a 3D-printed housing for one that sits between the frame and the water bottle holder. If someone does ever steal my bike, and checks for AirTags, I expect them to find this one

I have a second wedged inside the seat cavity. You have to take the seat off the seatpost rails to remove it

It's pretty common for thieves to have a lot of stolen stuff together, so if there is a second stalker notification I'm hoping they assume it's from another stolen item in their possession (having already removed the water bottle AirTag)

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#246

Post by mattdeboard »

Androider wrote: post #223
samatman wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple still has some weird atomization issues for a company which is going all-in on family stuff. This is the company which ran out a credit card and payments infrastructure with serious fanfare— and, incredibly, no provisions for married people having joint accounts. None, they added it later when dhh and Steve Wozniak made a stink about it.

Using a shared iPad with a family is a bad experience with all kinds of Apple account issues. Other apps Netflix/Amazon/etc. thankfully provide quick user switching which makes it tolerable.

that's how they get you into buying multiple ipads

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#247

Post by kaladin-jasnah »

dwighttk wrote: post #220
ohyeshedid wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Should they be doing that for free? Serious question. If they don't provide the network: what value do the tags, you bought with money, provide?

If you buy from Apple they do provide the network. If you buy from 3rd party and 3rd party doesn’t pay Apple, why should Apple provide the network?

An earlier commenter likened AirTags to DNS. Is DNS a for-profit protocol? Does it need to be?

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#248

Post by smoldesu »

dylan604 wrote: post #227
smoldesu wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultimately, I agree with you. My overall point though is that opening the Find My network to other vendors isn't the same as opening the protocol. What Apple does in B2B sales is none of my concern.

I was really just playing devil's advocate. It just seems like everyone expects things to be given away as charity. Apple is not a 501(c), so if they come up with something, it's because they think there's a revenue stream in it. The entire thing works so well precisely because there are so many Apple devices in the wild, and Apple is looking to capitalize on that.

They're welcome to do whatever they please. Doesn't change the fact that they're the largest company in the world though, nor does it exempt them from a bit of criticism for being one of the most ruthless forces in capitalism today. I don't think it's wrong to expect them to set a good example for the thousands of organizations that choose to follow their path.

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#249

Post by michaelt »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #135
jdminhbg wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every iPhone (and Android and dumbphone) was coopted into a global surveillance network from the very beginning.

Previously, it didn't help random creeps to find home address of a girl he saw in a grocery store. Now, with AirTags it is rather trivial. Thanks, Apple.

To be fair to Apple, products like [1] - a battery-powered GPS tracker with mobile data connection - have been available for 10+ years.

A 5-day battery life is useless for keeping track of your bicycle, but more than enough for a stalker to find someone's home.

Of course, they were much less widely reported on by the press - so perhaps less known by stalkers? And only available via ebay, not off-the-shelf in reputable retailers.

[1] https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304109556891

Re: Silenced AirTags with disabled speakers are popping up for sale online

#250

Post by dwighttk »

kaladin-jasnah wrote: post #247
dwighttk wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you buy from Apple they do provide the network. If you buy from 3rd party and 3rd party doesn’t pay Apple, why should Apple provide the network?

An earlier commenter likened AirTags to DNS. Is DNS a for-profit protocol? Does it need to be?

I don’t think DNS is, but AirTags is… so maybe they aren’t…likenable? likencompatible? Licompatible?
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