Apple and Google Team Up to Battle AirTag Stalking

Two tech giants, Apple and Google, have joined forces to prevent people from tracking others using devices that are meant to help locate lost items like keys and luggage.

Although the two tech giants rarely team up, apparently, this time, both Apple and Google teamed up to prevent stalking. They have now proposed a solution to establish guidelines for stopping secret surveillance. This comes in response to reports that Apple’s AirTags and similar gadgets have been used for harmful purposes.

Last December, a lawsuit was filed in San Francisco claiming that some women were stalked by their ex-partners who had planted these small, round trackers in their belongings, such as a car or a child’s backpack.

Apple claims that these devices are “stalker-proof,” but it has also acknowledged that some “bad actors” have attempted to use them for nefarious reasons.

#Apple and #Google have collaborated to tackle the problem of unwanted #tracking through location tracking devices such as Apple's #AirTag. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/K1DdBZYSSP

— SamSays (@SamSays47) May 3, 2023

How do Airtags and other devices work?

These small devices, including AirTags, Tile, and Pebblebee, are designed to attach to items that are easily misplaced, like wallets or keys. Once attached, they communicate with an app on the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth technology.

AirTags, in particular, are equipped with an advanced U1 chip made by Apple. This chip allows the AirTag to locate other Apple devices nearby and determine their precise location. Unlike traditional GPS, which can be unreliable in certain environments, the U1 chip uses multiple signals to triangulate the AirTag’s location.

To locate a misplaced AirTag, users can open the Find My app on their iPhones. The app provides precise on-screen directions, similar to a Sat Nav, to lead the user directly to the lost item.

Additionally, if the AirTag is lost, users can activate “lost mode” and enter a custom message to display on the phone of the person who finds it.

Combined effort to tackle the issue

Google and Apple have previously attempted to tackle the problem of malicious tracking independently.

For instance, iPhone users receive a notification if an unknown AirTag is “traveling with them.”

However, the two tech giants aim to take things further by introducing an industry-wide standard. They plan to present their proposal to an organization called the Internet Engineering Task Force later this year.

Google’s vice president of engineering for Android, Dave Burke, stated that the unwanted tracking problem “requires industry-wide action to solve.”

A preliminary proposal has recommended that all tracking devices should receive security upgrades through regular software updates to Apple and Android smartphones.