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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

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, we should normalize not reacting violently to theft because items can be replaced by insurance. Theft is not a problem at the volume you're suggesting it is a problem. Most people don't have most of their things stolen most of the time, and AirTags have absolutely nothing to do with addressing the threat of theft. And yes, it absolutely has to do with your emotions; everything has to do with emotions, the entire…

There's a lot to unpack in this back and forth. Violent reactions are really the only deterrent left to keep thieves at bay. If everyone was so laissez faire about it, well, I'd eventually expect my house to be emptied daily, and my insurance to cost about $30k a month. I get your point that theft isn't currently -that bad-, but realize that using that info to justify thievery just keeps compounding the problem.

You think the reason that every house in the world isn't emptied out daily is because of the threat of violent reactions by others?

You do realize there are loads of places in the world where people don't even lock their doors? And it's not cuz police are all over the place in those areas.

Perhaps material conditions are driving crime in many places...

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

#332
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which? Where?

Every city in the US. Between 'are we the baddies' and relatively meh pay most municipalities are short of officers. I'd link an article, but googling 'police shortage' would seem to do the trick.

Do you believe it's worse than 10 years ago? than 20 years ago?

Pay for officers in the US has only gone in one direction, and it's up. They have more resources than ever, more staff than ever. They are perhaps hit with Covid-related issues like everywhere, but "meh pay"? They're not teachers.

Or maybe you think everything has been terrible for the past 20 years. Maybe you think there's always been a police shortage.

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

#333
post #330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's already being sold by other companies. The cat has been out of the bag for years, you're just being notified. Don't attack the messenger.

Isn't the major difference that it's built into iOS, whereas stuff like Tile requires other people to have that app installed? It's not like these devices have GPS installed, they're reliant on devices around them to do the reporting.

You can buy devices with GPS and cellular data.

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

#334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is objectively false. There are laws, which are enforced by courts, that provide sufficient deterrent. Round and round we go. The OP of this chain was correctly stating that police rarely even investigate theft. > if you respond to property loss with violence, you deserve anything bad that happens to you. What a horrible thing to say. I don't think I'll reply here anymore, it's obviously going nowhere good.

What's actually horrible is committing acts of extrajudicial violence.

That's up to the thief to decide. It's pretty easy to avoid such "extrajudicial violence," simply by respecting the property rights of others.

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

#335
post #330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't the major difference that it's built into iOS, whereas stuff like Tile requires other people to have that app installed? It's not like these devices have GPS installed, they're reliant on devices around them to do the reporting.

You can buy devices with GPS and cellular data.

True! I believe the unique paring here with the Apple tags is that the device is very small and piggybacks off of iPhones, and has a year+ battery. I don't believe GPS + cell devices can get there on the battery department, but I might be wrong.

Putting something in someone's car once is a lot easier than putting something in someone's car and then recharging it once every couple of days.

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

#336
post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot to unpack in this back and forth. Violent reactions are really the only deterrent left to keep thieves at bay. If everyone was so laissez faire about it, well, I'd eventually expect my house to be emptied daily, and my insurance to cost about $30k a month. I get your point that theft isn't currently -that bad-, but realize that using that info to justify thievery just keeps compounding the problem.

You think the reason that every house in the world isn't emptied out daily is because of the threat of violent reactions by others? You do realize there are loads of places in the world where people don't even lock their doors? And it's not cuz police are all over the place in those areas. Perhaps material conditions are driving crime in many places...

> You do realize there are loads of places in the world where people don't even lock their doors

In a place with no daily crime, EVERY crime is investigated thoroughly, and the perpetrator brought to justice with all the resources of the (very bored) local police.

Think of the small town where no crime of note ever happens, and suddenly someone's house is robbed. Do you think the residents just shrug it off? Of course not — it's the only thing the town will talk about for weeks!

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

#337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They could NOT sell the tech. It's a choice.

The tech is simple enough that many others have released it already and it provides a lot of benefit to the world. I'm glad they put consideration in to how it could be abused and think the world is net better off with airtags.

The tech existed already and it was cheaper. Airtags just ripped off existing technology without substantially improving it, while causing a privacy/security nightmare that none of the other devices ever caused.

But hey if you want to spend 80$ for something that was already available 2 years ago for 40$ you go ahead.

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

#338
post #110

Anecdotal regional issue: I had an AirTag on my AirPod Pro's case that was stolen. I immediately notified Austin's police (APD) as I could see where it was going. Unfortunately, due to understaffing of 100-200 police officers and detectives, most calls unrelated to imminent threats of injury or death aren't being handle for days or ever. So, it's open-season on packages and property because APD can't or won't do its…

> I met a UT campus police officer who refuses to live in or bring his family to ATX because of the risks and de facto lawlessness. I live in Downtown Austin, and this kind of picture simply does not fit with my day-to-day experience of Austin.

Yeah, likewise. Lived close enough to downtown (by Pease Park). Quiet and pleasant. Every time I went into the rest of the city it was nice. I have my problems with the town, but this is not it.

Spoiler: it’s that I can’t get psychedelics easily.

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

#339

Anecdotal regional issue: I had an AirTag on my AirPod Pro's case that was stolen. I immediately notified Austin's police (APD) as I could see where it was going. Unfortunately, due to understaffing of 100-200 police officers and detectives, most calls unrelated to imminent threats of injury or death aren't being handle for days or ever. So, it's open-season on packages and property because APD can't or won't do its…

It has literally been like this for at least the last ten years in America. It takes a huge amount of work to get the police to do anything.

But also, you guys don’t know what the Third World is like. But at least I can tell that Nextdoor and HN have some overlap.

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

#340

Anecdotal regional issue: I had an AirTag on my AirPod Pro's case that was stolen. I immediately notified Austin's police (APD) as I could see where it was going. Unfortunately, due to understaffing of 100-200 police officers and detectives, most calls unrelated to imminent threats of injury or death aren't being handle for days or ever. So, it's open-season on packages and property because APD can't or won't do its…

> ATX has the security measures of a third-world country That's a pretty dramatic way to describe police not wanting to spend resources to get your $200 headphones back..

First world countries make efforts to stop thieves.

Meanwhile, countries in America's league do not.

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