There's mention below of a forthcoming Android app to alert people that they're being followed by AirTags, but no mention I saw of any protection for those who simply do not own a smartphone. The thought that people who likely have chosen to purposely opt out entirely from the always-connected ecosystem are now subject to unwanted tracking with no way to opt out or even be informed is frankly despicable.
This isn’t new or unique to AirTags. You can buy a GPS tracker on Amazon for a few dollars, and short of tearing your car apart you’d have absolutely no way of finding it. Frankly I think apple has put far more effort into safeguarding their product from malicious use than any of the readily available competitors.
It would seem best for Apple, Google, et al to collaborate on universal tracking detectors, similar to universal hidden camera detectors: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AFjGQNaqmXA
They have a speaker that plays a sound randomly every few hours when it hasn't been near the owner's device in a while. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212227
> An AirTag that isn't with the person who registered it for an extended period of time will also play a sound when moved so you can find it, even if you don’t use an iOS device.
If we go along with the idea that gun makers are at least partly responsible for school shootings*, then let’s make Apple at least partly responsible for stalkers using their products to stalk. Let them figure out the rest, including solutions for people without any electronics.
Maybe they need to give everyone on request a device to detect them, but even then you have to know what Airtags are and know to (and how to) request this device, so it’s still an imperfect solution.
Maybe they ought to do a background check and have Airtags registered to your name, that you’re legally responsible for. This sounds crazy now, but it may be the discussion society is having in 10 or 20 years.
At the least, they shouldn’t release an app to detect these. They should release a white paper so everyone can have their own implementation of Airtag detection.
As for me, I’m fully prepared to see my ass bearing down on a toilet as I’m about to take a shit in a toilet paper advertisement. We need strong privacy laws. Technology has upended everyday life and there’s very little room left for you to not be monitored by stalkers^W marketers^W the rest of the world.
* I’m not saying this is a good idea, but it looks like Remington might legally bear some liability for Sandy Hook.
That seems a little extreme. Companies in general are not responsible for how people use their products. If I buy a kitchen knife at the grocery store, why should KitchenAid be responsible if I kill someone with it? Carmakers aren't responsible when someone runs over pedestrians.
As for registration, they already are registered to the owner's Apple account. That's how the owner is able to track it and know if it's been found.
