Apple’s AirTags are keychain-sized devices that you can attach to your pocket or keys to help find them if they get lost. However, this useful technology has been abused for illegal tracking. This is why recently criminals use AirTag to steal cars a lot.
What is the problem with AirTag?
Although AirTag was introduced by Apple in 2020, the technology is not a new innovation. A company called Tile released small battery-powered trackers called “Tile” in 2015. They work almost identically to AirTag, allowing users to detect an item at close range. (30 meters or 100 ft via Bluetooth 4.0) and connect to a wider “crowd GPS” network.
When a user has the Tile app near the device, a notification is sent anonymously to the owner indicating where the Tile is located. The problem with this approach is that it requires users already using the Tile app to work, so its utility is limited to areas populated with many Tile users.
Apple’s AirTag works almost identically. You can use your iPhone to detect AirTag from about 100 meters (or 300 ft) away using ultra-wideband Bluetooth and Apple’s U1 chip. Each AirTag can be detected by other iPhones running iOS 14.5 or later, sending owners an anonymous update on where the AirTag was last seen when it was in range.
You can see the details of how the AirTag works I wrote to get a better picture.
Since AirTags support existing iPhone networks, they are much more useful than Tile implementations. Users no longer need to run apps or use third-party services to join a “crowd GPS” network. This means there is more chance for your AirTag to be recognized by the iPhone and record its location.
Here’s why you might be better off buying an AirTag instead of a Tile if you use an iPhone and want to keep track of your personal belongings. It is also the reason that AirTag is considered a much bigger privacy risk than any previous tracking tool.
How AirTag tracks objects
Because AirTags are small, they can easily slip inside a pocket or pocket without being noticed. The AirTag can then be tracked using a “crowd GPS” network when out of range, or using an iPhone close enough to use tracking.
The AirTag has an onboard speaker that allows the owner to let out sound, but this is also used as a privacy safeguard. If the device owner is not nearby for a certain amount of time, it will ring continuously until it is found or disabled. When AirTag first launched, the period was three days. Apple has updated this time to be from 8 to 24 hours.
One protection against being tracked by AirTag is that iPhone users will receive an “AirTag Found Moving With You” notification (AirTag is moving with you) if there is an AirTag that is not yours but keeps asking the iPhone to send a GPS signal. “crowd” The user can then tap this notification, open Apple’s Find My app, and tap “Play Sound” and attempt to locate the unknown AirTag.
There have been a few prominent examples of AirTag being used to track people. A New York model stuffed an AirTag in her jacket pocket to track her movements for 5 hours before she noticed the alert on her iPhone. Another woman was followed home from the theater, where she noticed an unidentified vehicle parked outside after receiving a warning. The car left as she approached.
Use AirTag to steal a car
There are many articles that have talked about car thieves also using AirTag to track vehicles, for both stalking and car theft purposes. After thieves identify the vehicle they want to steal, they can try to hide the AirTag somewhere on the vehicle and then track down its location. The vehicle can then be tracked and stolen.
One police department reported that only five (out of thousands) of reported thefts were AirTag-related. The stalking victim found an AirTag hidden near the wheel, a trick that could be used by car thieves. So far, AirTag-related car thefts seem to be rare, but not unheard of.
Another problem with AirTag in cars is that if the tracking device is placed outside the vehicle, the driver may not realize it is there even if it makes a sound. Noisy urban environments can make sounds difficult to hear, or drivers may not notice what the sound is.
Only iPhone users will receive an alert for AirTag tags that are tracking them, and iPhones with iOS lower than 14.5 do not receive the alert. Android users need download the Track Detect app To get this functionality, it requires manual scanning.
“Silent AirTag” is preferred by criminals
A unique AirTag defense designed to help everyone – regardless of whether you use an iPhone or Android phone is the sound the AirTag emits after a while if its owner is not near it. But the appearance of “Silent AirTag” being sold on eBay and Etsy raised even greater privacy concerns about the potential for abuse.
By turning off the speakers inside the AirTag and then reassembling the trackers, the AirTags were fixed so that the AirTag speakers couldn’t make any sound. The seller said these AirTag cards are modified for use in case the AirTag holders are away from home for a few days. Remaking AirTag like that is not illegal, but if used for bad purposes, you can get in trouble with the law.
After being put for sale, the above item was removed from Etsy and Ebay, the reason is still unknown.
How to detect AirTag near you
iPhone users should rely on iOS’ built-in tracking detection and heed any alerts when they are received. You can tap the notification, then play a sound if you think an AirTag is being used to track you. Application Find mine will then give you instructions on how to turn it off.
Android users have to manually scan using Apple’s Tracker Detect app. This app can detect any network compatible tracker Find mine and will also help users play a sound to locate and disable trackers if tracking is suspected. While the Android app isn’t very good at detecting AirTags, it’s still worth a try if you suspect something.
Another way to find an AirTag is to listen for a distinctive chirp. You can hear this sound in the Apple video tutorial. If you hear this sound then you should look around to see if you can find the AirTag. You can help someone find their lost key or bag, or you may learn that you are being watched by someone else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LdbZdCRzI
If you find an AirTag that you suspect is being used to track you, do not throw it away or destroy it! Disable it according to Apple’s instructions then notify the police for the next solution.
The AirTag is really useful
Despite some serious privacy concerns since trackers can be tracked around the world, AirTag is still a very useful tracking tool. Please use it for the right purpose, which is to find personal items, not to follow others.