Apple AirTags are definitely handy devices that allow you to keep track of your things, which is also evidenced by their prevalence, but at the same time, it is good to be aware of the potential risk that hackers and snoopers will use them for spying. We will provide you with some tips on how to resist these practices.
If you're like me and many others, you have a list of things you pretty much never leave home without, which most likely include your phone, wallet, keys, or maybe a backpack with your MacBook and other essentials. Have you ever had to face circumstances where you managed to lose one of these items, or even worse, someone stole it? Fortunately, today we have devices like AirTag, with which we can better deal with such matters. In this way, we can be aware of the position of the luggage upon landing, but also, for example, the smart cards for work or the parking places of our cars.
The principle of operation of AirTag and similar trackers, which usually have the dimensions of a larger coin and can be attached almost anywhere, is not complicated at all. They emit a signal that they are able to detect surrounding devices. If their owner forgets the tracked object somewhere, falls into the wrong hands or inadvertently falls between the couch cushions, he can find it relatively easily with the help of the appropriate application.
Gallery
Apple, of course, is not the only one that offers a similar solution, although it is likely that most iPhone users will prefer it, Tile or SmartTag products from Korean Samsung are also very popular. Despite their clear benefits, however, it is also worth considering the potential threat to privacy should someone gain unauthorized access to an AirTag or decide to use their own for covert surveillance. Companies Apple and Google are working to establish industry standards to stop such abuse. Fortunately, we are not defenseless and can use procedures to help us keep the situation under control.
How they work Apple AirTags?
That being said, the concept behind the tracker is fairly simple. Apple An AirTag is basically a small homing beacon that sends out a wireless signal, allowing other devices to know its location. If the lost item is nearby, everything is relatively easy, since you are in direct range, you just let your iPhone or iPad guide you to it. If you have just returned home and realized that you have inadvertently left an item, probably with an acquaintance whom you visited today, somewhere in a cafe or elsewhere in public, the network of users comes into play in the search.
The advantage of AirTag is that it works with the company's huge "Find" ecosystem Apple. Individual devices with the bitten apple logo are able to mediate the localization of distant objects very effectively, which is proven by the number of stories where people managed to find lost luggage, stolen suitcases, bags with expensive equipment, bicycles or even a golf cart.
You could be interested in
Let's say you had an AirTag in your backpack and forgot it at a restaurant a few hours ago. The tracker inside is out of your phone's Bluetooth range — but not out of range of other people's iPhones. In this way, you only need to mark the object as lost in the Find application, which is why your chances of finding it successfully increase significantly with the help of any device Apple in the "Find" network located nearby. For a person who has been reunited with his backpack and its contents thanks to this technology, this is a definite benefit.
As it happens, almost any modern convenience can be abused, in this case by stalkers and cybercriminals, and there are two main ways they can do it. The first is gaining unauthorized access to your AirTag and then using it to track your location. Another option is much less sophisticated and involves placing the tracking device in a location that the person you are interested in thinks is inconspicuous enough that you will not encounter it under normal circumstances.
What are companies doing about it? Apple and Google?
Although AirTag is primarily adapted to the Apple ecosystem, detecting its presence in your immediate environment is not strictly limited to phones and tablets from the Cupertino workshop. Today, tracking is also possible on Android devices. The good news is that both tech giants have been working on solving the aforementioned issues for some time now, and with the introduction of industry security standards regarding trackers into practice, more significant progress can be expected in this regard.
To owners of apple phones and tablets Apple it already offers some built-in security and privacy options, and they can receive notifications through a "Find" app that notifies users when a Bluetooth tracking device is in their vicinity. In addition to including these measures in Google's operating system, the proposed industry specifications will make it easier for other popular brands to use the security features and integrate them into the trackers they develop.
How to recognize unauthorized surveillance through AirTag?
It's likely that at this point you (like me) are wondering: How do I find and disable a hidden AirTag that someone has placed in my bag, backpack, etc.? Here's how to proceed.
- If within range of your iPhone (or other compatible product Apple) finds the AirTag, a notification should appear "AirTag moves with you" accompanied by the message: “The owner of the item can see its location. Tap to open the Find app and scroll through the possible actions." If you follow the recommendation, you will work your way to more details, and if you are not the owner, someone can use the AirTag to track your movement.
- You can also use the Find It app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to check for AirTags that have been placed nearby. Just look for it in the "Items" tab. If you see a tracker you don't recognize in the list, select it to view more information.
- If you have come to the conclusion that the AirTag is tracking you without your consent, after locating it, the most effective way to deactivate it is to remove the battery, which is achieved by pressing the back cover and turning it counter-clockwise.
If you find a suspicious AirTag that you believe has been planted there, you can contact the police if you deem it appropriate. Each tracker has a unique serial number that can help identify the owner or buyer of the tracking device.
I would like it if it could be set that a specific AirTag would not draw attention to itself. I don't understand why we should give in to criminals and warn them that, for example, a stolen car is being tracked. I recognize and understand that stalking someone without permission is crap, but stealing private property is even more crap in my opinion, and the owner has the right to track their property and get it back by any means necessary. So my AirTag in the car has a prepared speaker so that in the event of my car being stolen, at least it doesn't scream, if it is no longer possible to prevent an unsolicited message to the thief's phone.