Home » News » Apple and Google band together to curb the misuse of Bluetooth trackers like AirTags

Apple and Google band together to curb the misuse of Bluetooth trackers like AirTags

(Image Credit Google)
In response to many concerns concerning Bluetooth goods like AirTags facilitating stalking, Apple and Google are collaborating on a new industry-wide initiative to help reduce the danger of these products being used for unauthorized tracking. On Tuesday, the firms together proposed a new technical standard that manufacturers might incorporate into next products. It would enable "unauthorized tracking detection and alerts" to be implemented by location-tracking devices and allow them to operate on both iOS and Android platforms. The proposal states that the objective is to make these devices capable of "unwanted tracking detection" so that users "can both detect and alert individuals that a location tracker separated from the owner's device is travelling with them." Along with that, it would "provide means to find and disable the tracker." According to a press statement from Google and Apple, the new standard has the endorsement of manufacturers like Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee.

“This new industry specification builds upon the AirTag protections, and through collaboration with Google results in a critical step forward to help combat unwanted tracking across iOS and Android,” said Ron Huang, Apple’s vice president of sensing and connectivity.

The firms noted that in developing the specification, they took views and suggestions from device manufacturers as well as from safety and advocacy organizations. According to the corporations, the proposal has been sent to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a group that develops standards, for assessment. [caption id="attachment_169086" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]Apple AirTag Image credit : TechTeezy (YouTube)[/caption] Apple introduced the AirTag in 2021, a $29 Bluetooth locator similar to the Tile that attaches to and aids users in locating goods like keys, wallets, laptops, and even cars by providing almost everything a digital footprint that enables it to be located on a map. But soon after the devices' release, some experts cautioned that they might be used to track people without their permission. Two women sued Apple late last year on the grounds that their ex-partners had exploited the company's AirTag devices to track their whereabouts, possibly endangering their safety. A lady from Indiana is said to have used one in June 2022 to locate and ultimately kill her partner as a result of an alleged affair, according to reports. It has also been reported that car thefts have involved AirTags. In order to find new ways to update its AirTag safety warnings, including notifying people sooner if the tiny Bluetooth tracker is suspected of monitoring someone, Apple has collaborated with safety organizations and law enforcement authorities over time. Also read : Great Deals on Apple AirTags, UE Fits Earbuds, Anker 313 Charger, and 2022 iPad Locators are not a recent invention. According to Erica Olsen, director of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the problem of unauthorized surveillance "existed long before AirTags came on the market," she told CNN last year.

By Awanish Kumar

I keep abreast of the latest technological developments to bring you unfiltered information about gadgets.

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