Trackers like Apple's AirTags are a huge help in finding lost or stolen items, but it has also emerged that they are ideal for stalking. — Photo: Till Simon Nagel/dpa
SAN FRANCISCO: Bluetooth trackers, the coin-sized tags that have emerged as the ideal tool for finding lost items (as well as stalking people), are set to get a new standard developed by Google and Apple in order to prevent unwanted tracking.
The two IT giants, whose smartphone operating systems have made tracking tags possible, have collaborated on a new industry standard for the Android and iOS mobile platforms, the two companies announced at the start of May.
The standard is set to support major trackers such as Apple's AirTags, Samsung's Smart Tags, Tile, Chipolo, Eufy Security and Pebblebee.
Although such trackers have been used to track down lost luggage and stolen items, there have been repeated incidents of Apple's AirTags and other Bluetooth trackers being used to track people against their will.
Apple did introduce some safeguards to prevent stalking by AirTags, and currently if another person's AirTag stays near another person's phone the tracker is supposed to emit a warning sound.
In addition, potential victims of stalking receive instructions on the iPhone on how to deactivate an unwanted AirTag in their vicinity. However, this anti-stalking protection has only worked if all parties involved use an iPhone. That is now set to change.
"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, vice president of Sensing and Connectivity at Apple.
Although the new standard allows various smartphones to identify unwanted nearby trackers, the companies did not mention a means for people without smartphones to tell if they are being tracked.
The specification was submitted through the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a leading standards development organisation for the internet. Interested companies can review and comment on the draft over the next three months.
Apple and Google then plan to release an implementation of the standard by the end of 2023, which will then be supported in future versions of the iOS and Android mobile operating systems. – dpa
