Background
In April 2021, Apple launched AirTag, a small locating device intended to be used with frequently misplaced items such as keys or valuable items like laptops or luggage. AirTags are small, circular metal discs, not larger a coin and pair up with iOS devices via Bluetooth technology so that users can identify the precise location of their items by periodically sending messages to any compatible Apple device withing range (upto 100 metres) that can be used to track location. Apple recently launched iOS 14.5, with app tracking transparency function but also introduced support for the new Apple AirTag, which risks doing the opposite. Unfortunately, it seems like the technology has opened up new avenues for criminals while also encouraging the use of mass suervellliance technologies without the consent of normal iPhone users who necessarily haven’t purchased this product.
Air Tags – used by car thieves
According to a December report from York Police, “officers have investigated five incidents where suspects have placed small tracking devices on high-end vehicles so they can later locate and steal them. These tags are placed in out-of-sight areas of the target vehicles when they are parked in public places like malls or parking lots. Thieves then track the targeted vehicles to the victim’s residence, where they are stolen from the driveway.” The report also cited over 2000 vehicles being stolen across the region and are encouraging people to lock their vehicles in the garage while also inspecting vehicles for any such devices being planted! While the technology was introduced to save time, such technology in the wrong hands is being used against unknowing customers to steal their cars!
AirTags – used by stalkers
When Apple first released AirTags earlier this year, concerns immediately sprung up about nefarious use cases for the covert trackers. Apple responded with a slew of anti-stalking measures, but those are more intended for keeping people safe than cars. An AirTag away from its owner will sound an alarm, letting anyone nearby know that it’s been left behind, but it can take up to 24 hours for that alarm to go off — more than enough time to nab a car in the dead of night. In both Gizmodo and Mashable’s reviews of the AirTags, the trackers were found to be scarily accurate at tracking people without their knowledge or consent. Users who haven’t updated to iOS 14.5 will not receive alerts that an unwanted tracker is near them, and even if you have updated, you may not see a notification if the AirTag isn’t tracking you for some unspecified length of time. Android users are also at a disadvantage because if they’re being tracked via an AirTag, they won’t be notified until they’ve been physically out of range from their stalker for three days. In many abusive situations, one may never reach that particular threshold. For the concerned, there are a few ways to defend against this kind of attack. Disabling Apple’s Find My network can stop the phone from reporting the location of nearby AirTags, and third-party bluetooth scanning apps can report if any new devices show up near you.
Air Tags – used by mass surveillance
What happens when AirTags are not used for the purpose they were created for ? The challenge is that it is unclear how rigorously any precautions have been tested and vetted in real-use testing for the worst-case scenarios. Just because companies encrypt data, doesn’t mean these products can’t be used in creatively awful ways to violate privacy. The National Network to End Domestic Violence told Fast Company “it feared that AirTags could be abused as surveillance tools to discreetly track a partner, and that it is standard practice for halfway houses to thoroughly search through a survivor’s devices for these kinds of surveillance devices”. Apple has made these devices easy to use, affordable, accessible, and extremely accurate, without the need for wifi or GPS. There are 1.65 billion Apple devices in active use as of January 2021 and AirTags depend on as many people as possible participating to be effective, so all of those devices are pinging each other in the background with accurate locations, but that scale also means that it doesn’t matter if an individual chooses not to participate. So long as there’s an Apple device around, anyone can be tracked by a small, easily hidden Bluetooth device that doesn’t need to be connected to the internet or a cellular network or a GPS satellite!
Here are a few concerns that emerge from rapid introduction and spread of such technologies:
- What are the options available to opt out of such forced Phone upgrades and ensure that privacy and security are not compromised?
- Should such technology introductions be tabled for review under law enforcement before they increase crime rates in society?
- Can victims of such technology abuse, include the manufacturers of technology in their law suits as aiding and abetting criminals?
- What changes are required in laws and IT security standards to ensure that stricter rules apply to such companies seeking to exploit mass surveillance technologies?
Conclusion
While innovation for convenience seems to be on the rise, these platforms are also increasing the access to such potent technologies to criminals, state actors and potentially foreign adverseries wanting to cause harm. Such products are testing the boundaries of the legal systems and the ability to provide protections are all in the hands of the technology companies. It is for this lopsided cost benefit analysis that as a society we need to evaluate the forceful introductions of such technologies in our phones without the society’s approval specially when opting out is Just an illusion. Is the convenience of tracking our items more important than our safety?
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