Apple’s New ‘Personal Safety Guide’ Helps You Deal With AirTag Stalkers

Image for article titled Apple's New 'Personal Safety Guide' Helps You Deal With AirTag Stalkers

Photo: James D. Morgan (Getty Images)

Apple has historically reeled in a wide range of users with the promise of top-notch digital security and a safe, walled-off ecosystem. However, its new(ish) AirTags, which critics warn can be manipulated by creeps and criminals to track users, have drawn Apple directly into the privacy spotlight. Those growing concerns are likely part of the reason why Apple on Tuesday released a new Personal Safety User Guide aimed at providing users with resources to keep themselves, and their data, safe.

Though most of the suggestions and tips highlighted in the guide aren’t entirely new for Apple users, the company does notably include a section on AirTags. In it, Apple points to privacy features put in place to stymie stalking or other unwanted tracking and provides instructions on what to do if a user hears an AirTag blast out an alert that isn’t theirs.

Apple described the new resources as a guide for “anyone who is concerned about or experiencing technology-enabled abuse, stalking, or harassment.” Users experiencing harassment or abuse can search the guide for step-by-step instructions on how to remove another person’s access to their information in addition to highlighting features that can be used to enhance one’s digital security. Though the guide doesn’t introduce new security features, it could serve as a useful resource for individuals who are unsure where to begin.

In a separate, “Review and Take Action” section, Apple provides a bulleted list of 13 different options users can engage in to modify their security. The guide also offers three separate checklists providing detailed instructions to help users change their settings if they believe someone may have access to their accounts who shouldn’t. The section further provides tips on how to stop sharing sensitive information with certain people.

When AirTags first launched early last year, the number one concern echoed amongst privacy advocates was that stalkers could use the devices to surreptitiously follow and track people. To some degree, those concerns have manifested in the real world. There are already multiple alleged stalking cases involving AirTags reported across the country, with a new case allegedly occurring in Philadelphia just last week.

In an effort to alleviate some of those concerns, Apple rolled out an update last summer that would make AirTags beep at a random time if it’s not near the owner’s phone for somewhere between 8 and 24 hours. Apple also introduced a new Tracker Detect app that lets Android users scan for any unwanted Find My-connected devices belonging to another person in a nearby area. So far, those have had mixed results.

Outside of stalking, some car thieves have also reportedly started turning to AirTags to help track down, and eventually steal, high-end vehicles. Then there’s the whole moral debate surrounding parents clipping AirTags on their children.

Of course, not all AirTag use cases border on the dystopian. Many owners have noted using the trackers to locate their car in a parking lot, keep track of their pets, find their luggage at an airport’s baggage claim, and even to compete in high-tech scavenger hunts, if that’s your type of thing. This writer personally attached an AirTag to his keychain after deciding he was done obliterating his apartment in desperate, bordering on feral, attempts to find where his keys were hiding before work.

There are other, more clever uses as well. Just this week, a military family moving from Fort Carson, Colorado, to Fort Drum, New York, used an AirTag dropped into a box of her son’s toys to track their mover’s whereabouts. The family thought to track their items because military moves are notoriously fraught with delays. Using the AirTag, the family was able to confirm the driver’s exact location, in this case just one state away, despite claims from the driver that he was still halfway across the country.

If you are ever concerned they may be caught on the receiving end of an unwanted AirTag, there are several things you can do to protect yourself. First, AirTags that are separated from their owners should cause an alert to pop up on your device, which is a sign there’s a tracker nearby. As mentioned above, these separated AirTags will also eventually emit sound, but that may be difficult to hear in some situations. Android users meanwhile can use the Track Detect app to scan for unwanted AirTags nearby.

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
The Best Sci-Fi Movies on Prime Video thumbnail

The Best Sci-Fi Movies on Prime Video

Coherence (2013) Amazon Prime Some of the best indie sci-fi gems out there can be found on Prime Video, it just takes a little digging. And 2013's Coherence isn't the only worthwhile sci-fi viewing. There is a ton of great sci-fi films banking up on the streamer, from Prime Video Originals to the old reliable classics.Scroll…
Read More
Logitech MX Keys Mini, a small keyboard, can connect to 3 devices, price 3,400 baht thumbnail

Logitech MX Keys Mini, a small keyboard, can connect to 3 devices, price 3,400 baht

Logitech เปิดตัว MX Keys Mini คีย์บอร์ดขนาดเล็กกะทัดรัด ที่นำส่วนของ numpad ออก เหลือแต่แป้นพิมพ์ตัวอักษรและฟังก์ชันต่างๆ ในราคา 3,400 บาทในยุคปัจจุบันที่ผู้คนยังต้อง work from home กันอยู่ ประกอบกับกระแสการจัดจัดโต๊ะคอมที่แรง ทำให้มีอุปกรณ์ใหม่ๆ ที่น่าสนใจเกิดขึ้นจำนวนมาก และหนึ่งในอุปกรณ์ที่น่าสนใจคงต้องมีชื่อของคีย์บอร์ด MX Keys ของแบรนด์ Logitech อยู่ในนั้นแน่ล่าสุด Logitech เปิดตัว MX KeysMini คีย์บอร์ดขนาดเล็กกะทัดรัด ที่นำส่วนของแป้นพิมพ์ตัวเลข (numpad) ออก เหลือแต่แป้นพิมพ์ตัวอักษรและฟังก์ชันต่างๆ ทำให้มีขนาดที่เล็กลง และสะดวกในการพกพามากยิ่งขึ้น ลบภาพจำของคีย์บอร์ด MX Keys ที่เคยเห็นไปได้เลยถึงแม้จะตัดส่วนของ numpad ออกไป แต่ก็มีการเพิ่มสิ่งที่น่าสนใจอย่างปุ่มที่สามารถเรียกใช้งาน emoji จากปุ่มที่อยู่ในแถวปุ่มฟังก์ชัน เพื่อความสะดวกในการพิมพ์ emoji มากยิ่งขึ้น รวมไปถึงปุ่มที่ใช้สำหรับปิดเสียงไมโครโฟนได้โดยตรงจากคีย์บอร์ดการทำงานยังทำได้เหมือนกับ MX Keys รุ่นปกติ โดยมาพร้อมกับไฟแบ็คไลท์ ส่วนเรื่องอายุการใช้งานแบตเตอรี่นั้น…
Read More
Tesla’s Cybertruck still hasn’t released, but it’s going to cost more thumbnail

Tesla’s Cybertruck still hasn’t released, but it’s going to cost more

"A lot has changed" since the futuristic vehicle's initial reveal, says Musk Amid multiple delays and with no specific availability date in sight, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that the Cybertruck’s price and specifications will change before its release. If you’ve been following the rising cost of vehicles, this isn’t surprising, especially given the Cybertruck…
Read More
HP’s new Dragonfly Pro has a tech support key and it’s deeply confusing thumbnail

HP’s new Dragonfly Pro has a tech support key and it’s deeply confusing

Image: HP Update: A previous iteration of this article incorrectly stated that the HP Dragonfly Pro’s “24/7 support concierge” hotkey service costs extra. This has since been corrected. According to HP, the service is included with the product for the first year. HP’s Elite Dragonfly line of business-oriented laptops are luxurious and lightweight. However, this
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share