this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023
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Apple
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The way this works creeps me out
It's not that as bad as it seems. The way it is set up is actually very privacy-minded with the use of cryptography. I would encourage you to read more about this.
The primary safety concern is stalking. For example when a stalker puts an AirTag on your belongings or vehicle. iPhones can detect unknown airtags moving with you. Android devices should gain this capability in the future.
We had some issues with sensitive equipment being left behind at people's homes, so someone suggested putting airtags in the cases so we could easily find them. There was an email explaining this was being done.
Cue 2 weeks of employees getting "airtag stalking notifications" on their phones and asking WTF was going on.
My android already has this! It's a setting called Unknown Tracker Alerts
Then they released that already. Nice.
Gross, please no. I don't care how much cryptography they use, I still hate the idea of being opted-in to my personal hardware being part of a corporate run botnet for tracking devices.
I meant the feature where it can detect if an unknown AirTag is travelling with you. Not the part where it will participate in the find my network. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Then opt out?
You should not have to. This is not how device ownership should work. I don't want to own any devices that were designed by people who think this is a reasonable thing to do.
Idk what phone you have today (though it sounds like android) , but by those standards I can almost guarentee that you already have a phone that does similarly privacy invading things
They're giving Android phones the ability to detect Apple tags so you can notice you have one "following" you. You won't be providing GPS updates to Apple as I understand it, nor will you be able to use Apple tags without an iPhone.
I believe they already can detect unknown airtags. But they aren't usable in the Airtag network.