Communications of the ACM
Apple Says It Will Make AirTags Easier to Find After Complaints of Stalking
People have said on social media that they found AirTag devices hidden on their cars and belongings.
Credit: Carlos Jaramillo/The New York Times
Apple said on Thursday that it would make improvements to its AirTag devices to make it more difficult for people to use them to track others without their knowledge.
AirTags, tiny discs that Apple started selling for $29 last year to help people keep track of items like keys, wallets and phones, have become a headache for the company. People have said on social media and in interviews that they have found the devices hidden on their cars and belongings, leading them to fear they were being stalked.
AirTags use Bluetooth technology to ping nearby Apple devices, which then report the last known location of the AirTag to whatever device is using it to track something. Apple said some built-in features, like beeping automatically and notifying iPhones that an AirTag is nearby, could help prevent abuse, but privacy experts and those who feared they had been stalked said the features were not enough because they do not easily help people who carry phones that use Google's Android software.
From The New York Times
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