Following a number of recent reports highlighting how Apple’s AirTags are being exploited for stalking, the firm has now updated its current “Personal Safety User Guide” with additional advice on what customers should do if they find an unfamiliar AirTag in their vicinity or hear one make a sound. The book explains in detail what the AirTag’s alerts signify and what to do if they discover an AirTag or other Find My network device following them. It also includes guidelines for Android users.
The sites 9to5Mac and AppleInsider were the first to notice the addition to the guide. Apple verified to TechCrunch that the AirTag-related material was added to the guide today.
The guide, on the other hand, isn’t brand new. The same document had previously included information intended to assist those who were concerned about their personal safety or who were concerned about various ways they may be followed or monitored using Apple equipment. In general, it was aimed at assisting people who had previously exchanged information with a partner and now wanted to guarantee that person could no longer access their account, data, or location, among other things.
The guide, on the other hand, isn’t brand new. The same document had previously included information intended to assist those who were concerned about their personal safety or who were concerned about various ways they may be followed or monitored using Apple equipment. In general, it was aimed at assisting people who had previously exchanged information with a partner and now wanted to guarantee that person could no longer access their account, data, or location, among other things.
However, in the instance of AirTag, the stalking is not necessarily the result of a relationship abuse situation. According to a New York Times story, auto thieves were utilizing AirTag devices to monitor and identify high-end vehicles they intended to steal. Others reported receiving warnings about being monitored by an AirTag after leaving a public venue, such as their local gym. According to the story, some parents were also utilizing the gadgets to track their adolescent children without notifying them.
Because Apple is the only big technology business in the lost-item tracker area to provide proactive notifications about unfamiliar Bluetooth trackers nearby, the stalker scenario has come to light. According to The New York Times, several academics feel Apple’s AirTag did not directly cause the tech-enabled stalking problem. Instead, it’s probable that the AirTag’s built-in alerts system uncovered an existing widespread issue. Unfortunately for Apple, considering how extensively the firm has positioned itself as being concerned with customer safety and privacy, this issue has become a PR disaster.
While Apple has offered statements to reporters regarding AirTag stalking situations in the past, the new guide now acts as a more formal form of documentation on the subject.
It explains to consumers what an alert signifies, why an AirTag could produce a sound, and how to utilize the new Tracker Detect app for Android. Most crucially, it directs you to Apple’s support material on what to do if you discover an unfamiliar AirTag following you and how to make it produce a sound if you can’t find it otherwise.
With the information upgrade, the guide is now available as a searchable webpage rather than just a PDF. This enables search engines such as Google to better analyze its contents and direct web surfers to the appropriate page depending on their search engine. It may also make it easier to maintain the guide up to date when new personal safety paperwork and recommendations become available.
Aside from AirTag data, the updated guide also contains information on newer Apple features that were not accessible when it was initially released, such as Apple’s App Privacy Report and instructions for setting up recovery contacts. Other new parts cover Home Kit and the Home App, private browsing mode, blocking individuals through messages, phone, FaceTime, and email, taking a snapshot to capture suspicious behavior, and setting up account recovery contacts.
The updated guide, when combined with the current information on managing account security and privacy, results in a more complete document than the previous edition.
However, the problem with AirTag was not so much a lack of paperwork or customer uncertainty about what to do as it was the reality that AirTags itself is far too easy to utilize for stalking reasons. In addition to being low-cost gadgets, their ring isn’t always loud enough to be heard — especially if the AirTag is hidden, such as on the underside of a car or under a license plate. Privacy groups have complained that the notifications regarding unknown AirTags are too rare.
Apple has yet to resolve these and other issues by modifying the functioning of AirTag, but the publishing of the guide suggests that the corporation is at least aware of the issue and is seeking to give some form of resource to users.
Source:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212227
https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/14/apple-releases-tracker-detect-android-app-to-help-users-discover-unknown-nearby-airtags/
https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/01/25/apples-personal-user-safety-guide-attempts-to-ease-airtag-concerns?utm_medium=rss
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/20/apple-airtags-stalking-complaints-technology
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/apple-airtag-showing-up-crimes-rcna9416
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60004257