Apple’s new AirTag has made headlines as a potential stalking tool. But the company is trying to address those concerns with a new privacy warning that aims to deter people from using the device for tracking other individuals.
This warning comes as part of an update to the AirTag setup process that will start rolling out to devices soon, according to a post on the company’s website this week. It’s also aiming to provide more documentation for users on the privacy of AirTags, including how law enforcement can request account information in case of a suspected theft or unauthorized use.
It’s also adding a warning about how long it will take for an AirTag to play a sound when it’s moved away from its owner — a time period that’s currently set at three days but could be adjusted as Apple learns more about how AirTags work.
In addition, it’s also adding an option to display an alert with a sound when a person’s AirTag is detected moving along with them, and enabling Precision Finding to help locate the AirTag if possible.
There are also a number of other security and privacy features that the company says will be introduced for a future release. For starters, AirTags will no longer have a GPS signal and will instead send scrambled Bluetooth signals to the Find My network when they’re in proximity of other devices on the network.
This is because that would drain their batteries quickly and raise privacy issues. Communication on the Find My network is encrypted every step of the way, so not even Apple knows where an AirTag is.
Another important feature is that the AirTag will only report its status to the Apple servers when someone taps it with an NFC-enabled iPhone or other device in the Find My network, which is part of what makes this a secure system. The company claims that it has notified law enforcement in many cases of people who’ve used AirTags for illegal purposes, and has been able to help those authorities in locating the owners of the devices.
The new security and privacy features will all be rolled out to AirTags in a phased manner, with the first phase focusing on alerts and notifications. The new privacy warnings and alerts are designed to deter anyone from using AirTags for tracking other people or objects.
It’s worth noting that Apple will only be able to provide account details in response to a valid subpoena or other legal request, not in response to a consumer complaint. This is because the AirTag’s location data and history is physically stored inside the device.
Additionally, if an AirTag is lost and the Find My network isn’t activated, you can use the Apple App Store to purchase an AirTag and add it to your Find My list. This will enable a notification to be sent to any Find My-enabled device that’s in range of the AirTag, and you can then choose to play a sound or use the AirTag’s other features.
