Stalking vs theft…which should Apple try to beat?
Discussion
I've just noticed this article about Apple making it easy for people to know if they're carrying an unknown Airtag tracker around with them.
They claim this is being done to help prevent stalkers or abusive partners misusing the tags, but doesn't this also render them completely useless as security devices? After all, this now means that any would be thief just needs to carry a cheapo PAYG phone with the app on it to quickly find out if their illegally obtained loot has a tracker?
They claim this is being done to help prevent stalkers or abusive partners misusing the tags, but doesn't this also render them completely useless as security devices? After all, this now means that any would be thief just needs to carry a cheapo PAYG phone with the app on it to quickly find out if their illegally obtained loot has a tracker?
You still could use it to keep track of them but if you think knowing where a couple of hundred pounds worth of personal junk is is more important that what they are being used for in some cases then I can’t help you.
To quote apple: “Misplacing something like your wallet doesn’t have to be a big deal when it has AirTag attached. You can play a sound on the built-in speaker by going to the new Items tab in the Find My app, or say “Hey Siri, find my wallet.” If it’s hiding nearby — like under the sofa or in the next room — just follow the sound and your search is over.”
To quote apple: “Misplacing something like your wallet doesn’t have to be a big deal when it has AirTag attached. You can play a sound on the built-in speaker by going to the new Items tab in the Find My app, or say “Hey Siri, find my wallet.” If it’s hiding nearby — like under the sofa or in the next room — just follow the sound and your search is over.”
Edited by Dingu on Thursday 10th February 23:03
Dingu said:
You still could use it to keep track of them but if you think knowing where a couple of hundred pounds worth of personal junk is is more important that what they are being used for in some cases then I can’t help you.
Surely by the same logic you'd want to make kitchen knives out of cardboard to stop the tiny percentage of people who use them to stab someone, or make all beer alcohol free to stave off the small minority of people who crash their car whilst drunk?anonymous said:
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That's absolutely right, and the reason why Apple are taking the action they are.I'd never even heard of Airtags before reading the article, but my immediate first thought was "those would be brilliant to stick inside your bags when you're travelling", as if someone did swipe your bag - as has happened to me before now on a station platform in Brussels - then there would presumably be a reasonable chance you'd be able to track your bag down if the scumbag who swiped it was unaware of the tag inside.
Now it may well be that there are other reasons you couldn't use an Airtag to do that, but if there isn't, it's presumably no longer a viable option, as this new change means the scumbag just needs a phone with the app on, and it'll tell them whether there's a tag in the bag they just swiped.
Kermit power said:
I've just noticed this article about Apple making it easy for people to know if they're carrying an unknown Airtag tracker around with them.
They claim this is being done to help prevent stalkers or abusive partners misusing the tags, but doesn't this also render them completely useless as security devices? After all, this now means that any would be thief just needs to carry a cheapo PAYG phone with the app on it to quickly find out if their illegally obtained loot has a tracker?
I think this just needs some more thought, I would have thought that if you want to use the device as an anti theft device you could register it with the police with verified ID.They claim this is being done to help prevent stalkers or abusive partners misusing the tags, but doesn't this also render them completely useless as security devices? After all, this now means that any would be thief just needs to carry a cheapo PAYG phone with the app on it to quickly find out if their illegally obtained loot has a tracker?
In the event the device is "stalking" a mobile the location is hidden from the air tag's owner, if the user wants to see the location of the air tag they given the choice of either telling the "stalked" device that there is air tag following them or telling the police that they believe the device is stolen and filling out an incident report.
Kermit power said:
Surely by the same logic you'd want to make kitchen knives out of cardboard to stop the tiny percentage of people who use them to stab someone, or make all beer alcohol free to stave off the small minority of people who crash their car whilst drunk?
If you think theft is genuinely worse than stalking you need to go get help. Also try being less of a skinflint and buy an actual tracker for your car.
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P.s that’s not the same logic. Apple have NEVER sold an anti theft tracker. You have merely decided that’s what it is.
Edited by Dingu on Friday 11th February 18:13
Dingu said:
Kermit power said:
Surely by the same logic you'd want to make kitchen knives out of cardboard to stop the tiny percentage of people who use them to stab someone, or make all beer alcohol free to stave off the small minority of people who crash their car whilst drunk?
If you think theft is genuinely worse than stalking you need to go get help. Murder is genuinely worse than not being able to slice your veg, but that's not a reason to stop selling kitchen knives.
Dingu said:
Also try being less of a skinflint and buy an actual tracker for your car.
What makes you think I own an Airtag or have the remotest interest in owning one, or any other form of tracking device for that matter?
I was posing a purely hypothetical question.
Dingu said:
P.s that’s not the same logic. Apple have NEVER sold an anti theft tracker. You have merely decided that’s what it is.
If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck...Unless you're suggesting that Airtags detect when they've been stolen rather than lost and turn themselves off, why on earth shouldn't someone use them to track stolen property, no matter how angry the notion seems to make you?
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