AirTags are excellent for locating missing or stolen items and can often help distressed car owners in retrieving their stolen vehicleswith the help of the police. However, these can also be used as an instrument of unwanted stalking. Realizing that this problem needs to be tackled together, both Apple and Google have submitted an industry specification that will prevent the misuse of such trackers, with alerts eventually being available on both iPhone and Android.

Various other companies, such as Samsung, Tile, eufy have shown support for this proposed specification

Apple’s Vice President of Sensing and Connectivity says that while the AirTag can give users some peace that their most valuable items can be tracked using the Find My network, there also needs to be a set of rules in place to discourage unwanted tracking of people. This is why according to the press release details given below, a new industry standard has been proposed by Apple and Google, with other companies like Samsung and Tile expressing support for it.

“Today Apple and Google jointly submitted a proposed industry specification to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unwanted tracking. The first-of-its-kind specification will allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to be compatible with unauthorized tracking detection and alerts across iOS and Android platforms. In addition to incorporating feedback from device manufacturers, input from various safety and advocacy groups has been integrated into the development of the specification.”

The new industry standard specification has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force, or IETF, and will be subject to review and comment over the next three months. Apple and Google will join forces to provide feedback over any changes and introduce an implementation of the specification by the end of 2023 that should be supported by future versions of iOS and Android.

Apple has done its best to reduce unwanted tracking through an AirTag with a sound alert that is emitted every eight to 24-hour intervals. This alert aided two tourists in Bali in figuring out that they were being stalked, but given the latest news surrounding the proposed industry standard, it appears that a ton of work is required to bring even more countermeasures to iPhone and Android platforms.

News Source: Apple