“We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow,” it said.Įrica Olsen, safety net project director at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, said the misuse of AirTags is concerning but she said Apple deservers credit for trying to create safeguards - something that she, too, said no other manufacturer of homing beacons had done. The company said its features to discourage unwanted tracking were a first in the industry. In a statement Monday, Apple said: “We take customer safety very seriously and are committed to AirTag’s privacy and security.” Those devices can then send the location of an AirTag to Apple’s cloud computing network and on to the owner.Īpple says that only the owner of an AirTag can see where it is, and that the device itself doesn’t store location data or history.
Apple air tag gps Bluetooth#
Using Bluetooth technology, an AirTag sends a signal that any nearby iPhone, iPad or Mac can detect. The tags sell for $29 each on Apple’s website, or four for $99.Īn app named “Find My” on iPhones tracks how far away the tags are and displays a map with their locations.īut the AirTags connect with more than the owner’s iPhone. “People who are engaging in unhealthy or abusive behavior suddenly became aware of a sophisticated, inexpensive and enormously effective tool,” said Adam Dodge, a lawyer in California who specializes in training nonprofits, law enforcement agencies and other organizations in addressing online abuse.Īpple markets AirTags as a way to find personal items such as keys, wallets or backpacks, whether they’re lost at home or far away, like the beach.
Apple air tag gps update#
Homing beacons made by other companies have been around for years, but Apple’s product is especially powerful because it uses the company’s network of more than 1 billion devices and its cloud computing service to frequently update the location of an AirTag.
Some people have reported using AirTags to recover stolen bicycles. And one reported attempt at unwanted tracking described on TikTok has received more than 27 million views.ĪirTags have a legitimate use that consumers may well embrace, but their misuse means they also fit in with an expanding market for surveillance technology as people buy other cloud-connected devices such as cameras to keep tabs on one another and to commit or deter crimes.Ī Connecticut police department told residents in June to consider putting AirTags “somewhere hidden in your car, boat, jet ski or even a backpack,” to recover them in case of theft. The sheriff’s office in Twin Falls, Idaho, warned residents this month that AirTags pose a danger, especially to potential victims of domestic violence. Police in Colorado, Georgia, Michigan and Texas have reported the misuse of AirTags, including for domestic stalking and trying to steal cars. She was among the people predicting just such an outcome months ago. “I don’t think there’s any question that Apple’s AirTags are being used for stalking,” said Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy group based in San Francisco. Evidence is accumulating that people are using AirTags to try to stalk others and steal cars, according to law enforcement officials, local news reports, personal anecdotes posted on social media and experts in domestic violence and computer security. NBC News has not verified the details of her experience, but it echoes a growing number of claims about Apple’s new homing beacon.
Her friend threw away the tracker, she said.
She said she reported the incident to law enforcement but didn’t know if they would investigate. In a follow-up message to NBC News, she said she now suspects someone was trying to steal her car because she wasn’t parked close enough to the bar for someone to associate her with the vehicle.
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