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Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

fastcompany.com

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Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#11

Post by capableweb »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #9

It seems that people already in that situation are already very vulnerable and AirTags don’t really add that much new vulnerability. If someone has physical access to you and your devices, it will be very hard for you you be sure they are not tracking you. With a lot of Android devices, you can root them and get access to a ton of location data. Many apps also store your location data. You can also side load apps tha…

> It seems that people already in that situation are already very vulnerable and AirTags don’t really add that much new vulnerability.

It doesn't add more "functionality" in the "tracking" use case, but it does make it more widely available to everyone and possibly easier to use than custom tracking solutions built with ESP32 chips.

I'm not saying to block the sale of AirTags, but they should really think through and make it impossible for misuse, otherwise reconsider if the value provided by this product is actually higher than the potential for misuse.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#12

Post by vaillant »

This really feels like a losing battle - especially the part where you only get warned about being stalked by the AirTag if you have an iPhone. Having the technology to know where things are is great but we need to figure out how to account for bad actors somehow.

I don’t have answers but tech companies can’t create the tools that enable harm and then wash their hands of it. Good for Apple for doing _something_, points for effort.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#13

Post by baq »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #9

It seems that people already in that situation are already very vulnerable and AirTags don’t really add that much new vulnerability. If someone has physical access to you and your devices, it will be very hard for you you be sure they are not tracking you. With a lot of Android devices, you can root them and get access to a ton of location data. Many apps also store your location data. You can also side load apps tha…

network effects have nonlinear impact in the size of the network. there are other products which do the same thing. none of them has that scale.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#14

Post by hundchenkatze »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #9

It seems that people already in that situation are already very vulnerable and AirTags don’t really add that much new vulnerability. If someone has physical access to you and your devices, it will be very hard for you you be sure they are not tracking you. With a lot of Android devices, you can root them and get access to a ton of location data. Many apps also store your location data. You can also side load apps tha…

Buying an AirTag is more accessible to vastly more people than rooting phones and side-loading apps.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#15

Post by jolux »

vaillant wrote: post #12

This really feels like a losing battle - especially the part where you only get warned about being stalked by the AirTag if you have an iPhone. Having the technology to know where things are is great but we need to figure out how to account for bad actors somehow. I don’t have answers but tech companies can’t create the tools that enable harm and then wash their hands of it. Good for Apple for doing _something_, poin…

I think the suggestion to cooperate with Google, like they did with COVID-19 tracking, is a great idea. I'm not sure they will go for it, though.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#17

Post by glhaynes »

BitwiseFool wrote: post #16

I must have lived a sheltered life because none of these concerns crossed my mind.

So much of that kind of stuff wouldn't be likely to cross my mind either. (What a nice privilege.) Shows how important it is to have a diverse set of listened-to voices when building tech products.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#18

Post by w0mbat »

All these stalking counter-measures make it useless if your device is stolen rather than mislaid.

If my bag is stolen I want it to contain a hard to find device, not one that gives away its position (by warning the thief). I also want an easy mechanism to give the police temporary access to track it, til they catch the thief and get my stuff back.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#19

Post by dangoor »

vaillant wrote: post #12

This really feels like a losing battle - especially the part where you only get warned about being stalked by the AirTag if you have an iPhone. Having the technology to know where things are is great but we need to figure out how to account for bad actors somehow. I don’t have answers but tech companies can’t create the tools that enable harm and then wash their hands of it. Good for Apple for doing _something_, poin…

> especially the part where you only get warned about being stalked by the AirTag if you have an iPhone

I believe that's not 100% true because of a final failsafe: the AirTag will start making noise if it's separated for too long (the definition of which could be an issue) from the owner's iPhone. That failsafe works if the person doesn't even have a smartphone.

I don't know if there _is_ a perfect solution for this, but they are indeed trying.

Re: Apple reveals more about AirTag stalking protections

#20

Post by jolux »

w0mbat wrote: post #18

All these stalking counter-measures make it useless if your device is stolen rather than mislaid. If my bag is stolen I want it to contain a hard to find device, not one that gives away its position (by warning the thief). I also want an easy mechanism to give the police temporary access to track it, til they catch the thief and get my stuff back.

>All these stalking counter-measures make it useless if your device is stolen rather than mislaid.

I think “useless” is a bit extreme. After three days, the thief may notice it when it starts beeping, but before then it will track just fine. Clearly there’s a trade off here, but I think having anti-stalking protections is pretty important for a product that millions of people are going to bug.

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