Apple and Google have formed a partnership to tackle unwanted tracking through Bluetooth devices, which were originally designed to help locate lost items such as keys and luggage. The two tech giants, along with Samsung and other tracking product manufacturers, have submitted a proposal to establish standards to combat covert surveillance on Apple’s AirTag trackers and similar gadgets.
Although AirTags have proven useful in locating lost property, stalkers have also used them and other similar devices to secretly track individuals, including former partners. As a result, Apple and AirTag are working on a plan, to be distributed through software updates, to prevent stealth tracking by the end of the year.
Google’s Vice President of Engineering for Android, Dave Burke, stated that while Bluetooth trackers have been beneficial, they also present the potential for unwanted tracking that requires industry-wide action to address.
Erica Olsen, Senior Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s Safety Net Project, commended the effort to establish industry standards that would help protect victims of abusive relationships and other people targeted by covert technology. Olsen believes that these standards will reduce opportunities for technology abuse and alleviate the burden on those who are trying to detect unwanted trackers.
