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Apple's response to the AirTag abuse issues is just PR fluff. The proposed "improvements" do little to protect against abuses when folks use older iphones or androids. https://t.co/PXT6rrMfeS
— Juan Carlos Bagnell (@SomeGadgetGuy) February 11, 2022
Some will still think AirTags shouldn’t exist, but there were lost item trackers before and will be after. Some just want Family Sharing already. Some will be livid this reduces their chances to track down criminals like The Batman.
— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) February 10, 2022
I think it’s important Apple is working on it https://t.co/bFNYBym3JE
Me, convinced I have most twisted mind in room: How about I plant a ton of location trackers on my husband?
— Kashmir Hill (@kashhill) February 11, 2022
My editor: Can u do it for Valentine's day?
Me: sure
Photo editor: Let's have a photographer secretly follow him!
Me *whispers*: What have i done? https://t.co/I6yyIzoWZW
Good to see Apple bolstering anti-stalking features, but there's no mention of the issue of AirTags used to track Android users. There's an app, but it must be manually run.
— Dwight Silverman (@dsilverman) February 10, 2022
Apple to address AirTag stalking problem with upcoming features https://t.co/s870OJ8Qza via @techcrunch
To elaborate on the last bullet point: "Our unwanted tracking alert system uses sophisticated logic to determine how we alert users. We plan to update our unwanted tracking alert system to notify users earlier that an unknown AirTag may be traveling with them."
— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) February 10, 2022
Apple Airtags are fundamentally and unfixably privacy-destroying and should be removed from the market.
— BrianMcClendon.gps (@bmcclendon) February 11, 2022
They completely destroy any credibility that Apple had in the privacy space.https://t.co/T8cJD8pELq
Apple says that it has worked with law enforcement to catch at least one malicious person using AirTags for an unlawful purpose, and it is readily handing over information associated with any AirTag used for unwanted tracking. https://t.co/gHq4kxKUIC
— Juli Clover (@julipuli) February 10, 2022
Apple doing stuff about AirTag perception https://t.co/HW2Wm2DqRk
— Zac Hall (@apollozac) February 10, 2022
AirTag has created more problems than it aims to solve :Shttps://t.co/zu7RLoaPhu pic.twitter.com/ic1WDjH32Z
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) February 10, 2022
Forthcoming changes to Apple's AirTag tracker includes a setup warning that using it to track people is probably illegal https://t.co/3YxAR4xKnr pic.twitter.com/9xWIJQ7Xhu
— kif (@kifleswing) February 10, 2022
Outstanding story (as always) by @kashhill ? https://t.co/Iheo7GjlvP
— Taylor Lorenz - ON BOOK LEAVE (@TaylorLorenz) February 11, 2022
1/ So often, tech designed with good intentions is exploited for bad—but dumbing down the tech is not the answer; staying on top of the exploits is.
— Carolina Milanesi (She/Her) (@caro_milanesi) February 10, 2022
this makes me want to go and live in the woods https://t.co/jfsYzMpEQn
— Natalie Alana Ashton (@Natalan) February 11, 2022
This is unbelievable. The @nytimes literally published a 3000 word story about how boring I am. Tracked my movements, and even secretly followed me around with a camera!
— Trevor Timm (@trevortimm) February 11, 2022
How do they not have a public editor?? https://t.co/OKo8aV49z1
"Bad people use multipurpose thing to do badness" wrapped in a moral panic — this is the challenge of dual-use writ large, and I've little sympathy because (e.g.) similar thinking calls for weakening "end-to-end encryption" to preserve public safety:https://t.co/AEM4ukUANu
— Alec Muffett (@AlecMuffett) February 11, 2022
This is vital. How many AirTags are out there doing their master's bidding without anyone knowing because they happened to stalk someone with an Android device? https://t.co/nLUnHT4PrV
— Oliver Haslam (@OliverJHaslam) February 10, 2022
Today’s AirTag changes (and future updates coming later this year) are aimed at Apple product users, and Apple has nothing to say about Android users at this time. But Apple is planning continued improvements and listening to user feedback, and Android falls under that.
— Juli Clover (@julipuli) February 10, 2022
Where @kashhill puts in the work!
— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) February 11, 2022
“For all the bad press the AirTags have gotten, and as flaky as the detection mechanisms were, at least I was consistently getting notifications they were following me,” he said. “The privacy dangers of the other trackers were way worse.” https://t.co/xcR85JVGSM
Stalking fears are pushing Apple to do more. How soon and how much more? Apple wouldn’t give us specifics, but a couple of these tentative steps are in the right direction. https://t.co/QEc2lENWSb
— Sean Hollister (@StarFire2258) February 10, 2022
Apple is making some big changes to AirTags to address unwanted tracking:
— Rich DeMuro (@richontech) February 10, 2022
-A new crime warning when users first set up an AirTag
-Precision finding for unknown AirTags
-Notifying users earlier about unknown AirTags
-Making unknown AirTags emit louder sounds pic.twitter.com/vuHoCdKmKo
Excellent story. Destined to be adapted into a romcom? https://t.co/xl9as0kxTh
— Mathew Schwartz (@mathewjschwartz) February 11, 2022
This is an ok start but still doesnt address Android owners who are tracked with airtags..... https://t.co/VGcNrZawdo
— ?The Man About Tech (@Vyyyper) February 10, 2022
Low-cost tracking devices are great for finding your keys. But they also are great for stalking. Nice work from @kashhill to drive home that fact. https://t.co/gQbCCWPTRO
— Megan Gates (@mgngates) February 11, 2022
Any and all “trackers” can be used for nefarious reasons. Manufacturers and service providers must continue to make improvements to reduce risks of abuse. The focus is in #AirTags because #Apple. https://t.co/q8vfPhDNtY
— Rick Knight ? (@GoCatGo) February 10, 2022
The AirTag is the best bike tracking device out there — $29! battery life that lasts a year! — but this as a personal threat model is something else. https://t.co/BIZw5GzI0s
— Cyrus Farivar (@cfarivar) February 11, 2022
Apple adds more anti-stalking mitigations to their AirTags. All progress is good progress, but I still want AirTag detection built into Android: https://t.co/ZLURIukjlR
— Eva (@evacide) February 11, 2022
Apple responds to AirTags stalking concerns, but I am not really seeing anything in here that actually prevents it from happening. The only 100% solution is to dumb down the product by getting rid of the Find My network, which won’t happen. https://t.co/R21eTvOkg4
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 10, 2022
Oh, yesterday, the day after I asked Apple for comment on my husband-tracking experiment, the company put out a statement about things it is going to do to make unwanted tracking harder, including making the AirTag noise louder. https://t.co/tpZoRv0Y7M
— Kashmir Hill (@kashhill) February 11, 2022
sure, right: who needs regulation when Apple will give a stern warning to users that they should not use an invasive technology illegally https://t.co/6lKr6tB0y0
— Michelle Manafy (@michellemanafy) February 11, 2022
The GPS tracker worked best out in the country but when my husband went into Manhattan one day, the AirTag kept extremely close tabs on him, even when he went underground, into subway. The idea of these trackers being used without someone's consent is very scary. pic.twitter.com/PuHpNM4deV
— Kashmir Hill (@kashhill) February 11, 2022
This article is interesting, useful, and also a little funny.
— Bethan Cantrell (@BethanCantrell) February 11, 2022
Having had s few stalkers and an ex who would tell me how easy it would be to track me online married or not, I’m sensitive to this type of safety risk. & that’s aside from working on privacy for a living.
Link in OP https://t.co/nv4BarK0BB pic.twitter.com/vBvhSMd1dU
However I don’t really see that much of an issue here. There are many other trackers that could be used for the same purpose and just because it is Apple, they are getting negative media attention
— Ian Zelbo (@RendersbyIan) February 10, 2022
“Based on our knowledge and on discussions with law enforcement, incidents of AirTag misuse are rare; however, each instance is one too many.”
— Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli) February 10, 2022
Glad to see Apple addressing this properly: https://t.co/KmUV1mrkUD
This is so good https://t.co/VZxUh8EzSn
— Simon Fondrie-Teitler (@varlogsimon) February 11, 2022
After talking to people freaked out by Apple 'AirTag detected near you' alerts, I decided to test out the location trackers currently on the market.
— Kashmir Hill (@kashhill) February 11, 2022
By planting them on my husband and his belongings.
With his permission. https://t.co/I6yyIzoWZW pic.twitter.com/yMntEL1H2x
2/ I am glad to see Apple address the very valid concerns expressed in recent months by women who fell victim to ill-intentioned offenders using AirTags to track them.
— Carolina Milanesi (She/Her) (@caro_milanesi) February 10, 2022
The updates help in multiple ways:
Updates to AirTag, specifically to curtail unwanted tracking https://t.co/TdodfNxo55
— Stephen Robles (@stephenrobles) February 10, 2022
AirTag is getting more scrutiny than other item trackers, but I also believe that is making it more secure. Initially I believed this was a PR minefield for Apple, but it’s also neccessary part of getting a grip on privacy and security in their ecosystem.
— Michael Kukielka (@DetroitBORG) February 10, 2022
They still don't address the elephant in the room of their product being used to stalk people who don't carry iPhones: https://t.co/OOrt2mAndR
— Ian McKellar (@ian) February 11, 2022
Why do I need to spend like $700 to opt out of being tracked? What happened to privacy being a right?
Apple just issued an update on AirTag and unwanted tracking
— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) February 10, 2022
New features being added:
- New privacy warnings during AirTag setup
- Precision Finding (for an AirTag that isn't yours)
- Display alert with sound
- Refining unwanted tracking alert logichttps://t.co/kcqT3wpN26
thought about this AirTags announcement a little more and while it’s good that Apple plans to make it alert people sooner, the new privacy notice / warning screen isn’t going to deter anyone and is there solely to cover Apple’s liability https://t.co/UY1Delchl3
— dan seifert (@dcseifert) February 10, 2022
Another interesting tidbit here is that Apple confirms it has been working with law enforcement on instances of AirTag stalking.
— Chance Miller (@ChanceHMiller) February 10, 2022
This includes "cases where information we provided has been used to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator." https://t.co/o4D8iAdpeS
Giving my wife a set of AirTags was a huge mistake. I have near persistent warnings on my iPhone because they are all registered to her account. Apple needs to solve family use cases before they add more alerts. It’s been by far my most frustrating Apple purchase ever. https://t.co/HamGPHTFw1
— David Barnard (@drbarnard) February 11, 2022
Apple acknowledged the AirTag stalking problem today. Sort of blamed it on customers misusing AirTags, but also said it’s going to make some safety updates. Details —> https://t.co/ewKwjwHc2d
— Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) February 10, 2022
Apple published a new Press Release: »An update on AirTag and unwanted tracking«. https://t.co/nrj1ckPUgK
— IsTheAppleStoreDown (@IsTheStoreDown) February 10, 2022
Apple just issued an update on AirTag and unwanted tracking
— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) February 10, 2022
New features being added:
- New privacy warnings during AirTag setup
- Precision Finding (for an AirTag that isn't yours)
- Display alert with sound
- Refining unwanted tracking alert logichttps://t.co/kcqT3wpN26
Apple just released some more information on AirTag and tracking and how they help protect against unwanted tracking. https://t.co/RuR9X67kbg
— Aaron Zollo (@zollotech) February 10, 2022
Apple's response to the AirTag abuse issues is just PR fluff. The proposed "improvements" do little to protect against abuses when folks use older iphones or androids. https://t.co/PXT6rrMfeS
— Juan Carlos Bagnell (@SomeGadgetGuy) February 11, 2022