Apple and Google are hoping that their combined strengths can really stymie that How effective is stalking using bluetooth trackers. The two tech giants agreed on a set of standards for AirTag-like products It would enable automatic alerts on both iOS and Android devices, though the suggested device specs likely won’t eliminate the threat. Stalking supported by the device entirely.
On Tuesday, corporate announce They were proposing industry-wide specifications to limit misuse of Bluetooth trackers. Basically, these proposed global settings will make Bluetooth devices discoverable by both Apple iOS devices as well as Google Android devices. Since its launch in 2021, Apple He updated his AirTag software Tweet when you track down an item through the Find My app. iPhones are also supposed to notify users If he detects an unknown AirTag on his person. Until now, Apple forced Android users to download a separate app Alerts users when an unknown AirTag device is detected near them.
The companies statement said that other tracker makers including Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have “expressed support” for the draft standards, though each will have to continue building these capabilities into any new tracker models. according to Oft-cited Apple analyst Ming-Chi KuoApple has sold approximately 55 million AirTag units by mid-2022. wire cutter Earlier this year, the company has sold more than 50 million trackers to date, though some of them may have inevitably failed or run out of juice by then.
Although some of the most popular trackers have the ability to beep, there are millions of older trackers in use right now that cannot receive any hardware updates, and some likely won’t receive any new software upgrades.
How are companies supposed to modify Bluetooth trackers?
Besides those tracker manufacturers, there are a few other smaller companies that are also in the business of making AirTag-like trackers. For example, there is Nutale, which sells small, cheap Bluetooth trackers. According to Apple, the Standards Development Organization’s Internet Engineering Task Force has agreed to implement these standards. This group was responsible for Proposing hypertext protocol standards (Do you know that HTTP is in front of web addresses?) Among the other major functions of the Internet. However, it’s not exactly a government regulation, and there’s no reason for a company to develop a device that doesn’t meet those standards.
According to the Specifications draft Released by tech giants, any device with location enabled status needs a Bluetooth Low Energy signal that can be recognized by iOS and Android devices. This persistent signal would hide the identity of the device, but allow “unencrypted connections of non-owners to the accessory”.
In addition, devices need to go from “close to owner” mode to “separate” mode if the device is no longer near the owner’s device after 30 minutes. This mode will also allow users to look up a device’s serial number, which the police can use to find stalkers.
The draft specification mentions that devices must be able to play a sound around a user when their device detects an unknown tracker. but, Users have found simple ways to disable speakers on AirTagseliminating one of the main ways Apple attempts to alert users about unwanted devices.
Some anti-stalkers applauded the move. In the Apple release, Erica Olsen, senior director of the National Network Group to End Domestic Violence, called the standards “an important step forward.” However, the center said in a tweet Companies still need to implement and adopt these protocols.
Some bluetooth tracker companies already have their own publicized means of eliminating tracking, such as Tyl promised to fine the convicted stalkers one million dollars. That is, if those stalkers use Tile’s special feature that makes their trackers undetectable to the apps and devices you’re looking for. This goes directly against Apple’s and Google’s proposed standards, which require all devices to include at least one open Bluetooth connection that can be discovered by third-party apps and devices.
In response to a Gizmodo query, Tile said this type of tag detection “provides an industry-first cross-platform solution” that will make it easier for developers to implement. The company said it is only a “step in the right direction” and the company still looks forward to support “location-enabled products that prevent theft,” Also known as Undetectable tracking settings “with proper identity verification and strict terms of use.”
It’s not like Apple will stop selling AirTags anytime soon
Companies like Apple and Tile have already gone through claims of allowing a new kind of improved online stalking. At the same time, Apple routinely said its trackers were intended for other, more benign purposes. In this release, Apple’s vice president of Sensing and Connectivity, Ron Huang, said the Cupertino company simply wants to “give users the peace of mind of knowing where to find the items that matter most.”
Companies aren’t the only ones pushing AirTags for roles they weren’t necessarily intended for. The New York City Police Department announced that it was Giving hundreds of AirTags explicitly for tracking users’ stolen vehicles. Most police departments try to warn users about how bad actors can use trackers like AirTags to stalk people, but of course, these police departments don’t have New York’s first “vaunted mayor” Eric Adams, Routinely obsessed with Outdated And Questionable technological solutions, pull the strings. Adams even joked that he uses an AirTag to track his child.
These standards will take time and a lot of collaboration to be achieved and implemented effectively. While it’s a good first step, there’s still the risk of using Bluetooth trackers outrageously. Surely, there are plenty of examples for ordinary users Finding use of tracking devices in creative waysbut when reports show it AirTags have been used to track murder victimsThere is growing motivation for Apple to make these changes.
Update 05/02/23 at 5:00 PM ET: This post has been updated to include a statement from Tile.