Here are other AirTag anti-tracking measures Apple could introduce

Apple provided key AirTag anti-tracking measures when it first launched its tracking device, and has since provided two rounds of improvements. AirTags unequivocally offer better protection against misuse by stalkers and thieves than any other device on the market – something we’ve always emphasized.

However, it is also undeniable that AirTags bring a whole new level of awareness to the existence of small and affordable trackers, and that this awareness increases the risk. So I think it would be beneficial for Apple to take additional anti-tracking measures - here are some of our thoughts.

Background

It is often said that Internet commentators have a hard time accepting the concept that two different things can be true at the same time.

Indeed, AirTag is the best-protected and least-suitable tracker on the market for abuse by stalkers, thieves, and other criminals.

It's also absolutely true that a large number of non-technical people who have never heard of GPS or Bluetooth trackers are now aware of their existence - and that includes trackers.

Stalking is a serious problem

Some people tend to dismiss stalking as if it is a nuisance rather than a threat. This is not the case. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports some grim statistics: 81% of women who were stalked by a current or former husband or domestic partner were also physically assaulted by that partner, and 31% Women are sexually assaulted.

76% of women murdered by an intimate partner were first stalked, and 85% of women with attempted murder were stalked.
• 54% of femicide victims reported the stalking to the police before being killed by their stalker.
• Even if there is no violence, stalking can be very harmful. Most victims reported changes in their personality as a result, with a significant number suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder - and 25% of victims reported suicide.

For all these reasons, if Apple can introduce more AirTag anti-tracking measures to further protect privacy, it should. Guilherme Rambo and I came up with some ideas.

1. Flag AirTag that spends too much time with the wrong people

AirTag has strong privacy protection. If your AirTag passed within range of my iPhone, neither of us would be aware of that fact. Even if you set your AirTag to "Lost" mode, the only way I know who you are is if you choose to display a "Lost" message with a method to contact you - you have full control over the details you choose to share.

However, Apple is in a different position. It can access large amounts of confidential data. Within that data, it knows who registered a specific AirTag, and it knows which iPhones are within range of each AirTag.

Using this data, it shouldn't be technically too difficult to set up monitoring software to spot patterns that indicate tracking:

AirTag spends a significant amount of time outside the range of the user's iPhone; and

It will take a lot of time in the range of different iPhones.
2. Apple could then choose to proactively notify potential victims, just as it did with iPhone owners compromised by NSO's Pegasus. Something like this:

This is a message from Apple. We've detected that AirTag tracking devices that don't belong to you are frequently within range of your iPhone. If you have any reason to believe you are being followed or targeted by a thief, please file a police report citing this reference: 9mBT93vVVc. Police will be able to contact Apple at airtagsafety@apple.com to obtain the details of the AirTag owner.

If you would like support with tracking issues, here are some organizations that can help. 2. Look for Suspicious Apple ID and AirTags Pairing

Most criminals will most likely register their AirTags to their own Apple ID, even if they intend to misuse them . However, a smarter person would create a new Apple ID and register AirTags to that ID.

Similarly, it shouldn't be difficult for Apple to find a new Apple ID mode that's just for registering AirTags, with no other activity besides using Find My. These AirTags can then be tagged and examined for usage patterns for additional clues of abuse.

3. In both cases, disable AirTag

If Apple has identified a pattern consistent with tracking, disable AirTag. For owners, display a message in the Find My app that reads:

This AirTag is inactive. Please visit an Apple Store or contact Apple Support for assistance.

The innocent user will then be able to explain the situation and reactivate the AirTag. If any criminals were foolish enough to seek reactivation, their visit or call would provide further evidence of their ownership of the AirTags.

4. Allow blocking AirTags owned by specific contacts

Currently, any AirTags will be detected by any iPhone. Of course, this is the mechanism by which they can be tracked.

So a simple protection would be for Apple to allow iPhone users to block certain contacts. Once blocked, their iPhone will no longer detect AirTags belonging to that contact—making their tracking less effective.

This feature can be extended to block anyone's iPhone from AirTag tracking within range of its owner at any time.

Of course, this only works in certain circumstances: the victim has reason to suspect they may be the victim of stalking, and the stalker uses their own Apple ID. But it doesn't take much mainstream media coverage to get the message across that if your relationship is in trouble, or you had a bad breakup, here are the precautions you can take.

5. Proactively offer help when scanning for AirTags

If someone finds an unknown AirTag on their person or vehicle, they can scan it. If it is in lost mode it will display a message from the owner. But if not, both the Find My app and the Android scanning app may pop up a message offering support:

This AirTag has not been reported missing. If you have any reason to believe you are being followed or targeted by a thief, file a police report.

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