by quanto on 6/12/2022, 2:56:23 AM
by pryce on 6/12/2022, 2:45:29 AM
For those wanting to understand the wider implications of this, Eva Galperin over at the EFF has been trying to raise awareness against stalkerware for a while. She cofounded the Coalition Against Stalkerware [1] and has a TED talk here [2]. I suspect, sadly, that we're going to see a lot more of this in future.
[1] https://stopstalkerware.org
[2] https://www.ted.com/talks/eva_galperin_what_you_need_to_know...
by thatswrong0 on 6/12/2022, 2:42:34 AM
From what I can tell based on the news coverage, GPS trackers didn't exist before AirTags.
But seriously though, this does seem like the kind of thing Apple and Google should collaborate on and establish a standard so that any mobile operating system can notify people of unwanted trackers without requiring the installation of an app.
by hydroid7 on 6/12/2022, 6:14:05 AM
In F-Droid there is an app against tracking with air tags.
by Aeolun on 6/12/2022, 3:10:38 AM
Honestly, I think the problem here is the girl is crazy, not that she found her boyfriend using an airtag.
by neilv on 6/12/2022, 3:53:41 AM
When AirTag launched, the PR messaging was that it couldn't be used for this purpose.
by gnicholas on 6/12/2022, 3:05:57 AM
Sounds like the victim and perpetrator lived together. What sort of publicity would this story get if she had turned on Find Friends on his phone and shared his location with her?
by incomplete on 6/12/2022, 5:10:22 AM
by tr1ll10nb1ll on 6/12/2022, 2:32:49 AM
Paywalled. Is there a link without the paywall? I used to have 12ft.io but that stopped working too.
Whenever some AirTag news come up, I see the argument that GPS trackers had existed for a while, and they could be purchased readily through AliExpress. The argument implies that additional threat posed by the prevalence of AirTag is non-existent as the threat model had existed before.
This argument misses the point that to a non-technically-minded consumer, AirTag made stalking significantly easier not only on a technical ground (Apple's familiar UIUX), but also on an emotional ground -- Apple is an admired premium brand, and instead of buying some sketchy equipment from a no-name seller, one can walk into a pleasantly appointed Apple store and pick an AirTag on a coffee break. It makes the whole experience _feel_ more legitimate and kosher, if not pleasant.
Accessibility of a tool whether on technical, emotional, or legal grounds makes material difference in adoption and usage of said tool.