TECH experts have highlighted the security risks of Apple’s AirTag trackers, and even though the company released an iOS update to boost safety, some worry it’s not enough.
Apple released an update that will alert iPhone users to an unknown accessory. The warning only appears after 72 hours.
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Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Morgan Wilson, an expert at Northeastern’s Domestic Violence Institute, detailed the dangerous ways the technology can contribute to repeated instances of sexual and domestic violence.
“Waiting 72 hours to figure out that that tracker has been moving with you, I think, is really problematic,” Wilson said.
In cases of domestic violence, that 72-hour period is more than enough time for a victim of abuse to come to harm.
That’s enough time to allow the person who planted it to learn the routines of an unknowing target or find the information they can use to cause further harm.
“Now this person who’s had this tracker has all of that information, pinpointed location and insights,” Wilson said.
There’s another danger inherent to the AirTags system: anyone without an iPhone will have to take special action to detect the devices.
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“If you’re not an Apple user, there’s if you have Android or Google phone or just not a smartphone, you’re never going to get that notification,” Wilson explained.
Though Apple did release an app for Android that can detect AirTags, those with Android, Google or Windows phones won’t be alerted to potential dangers without downloading the app first.
And anyone without a smartphone will have no means of detecting the devices. Children too young for smartphones, for example, could have the devices planted on their belongings during a custody handover, Wilson explained.
Wilson also pointed out that if the AirTag was planted by someone who lives with their victim, then the person being tracked may never be alerted at all.
“The other thing that’s really scary is if you’re living with your abuser, or you work with your abuser and you see them every day,” Wilson continued.
“They can just as easily go on their phone and say oh, yes, the tracker’s close to me now so it’s never going to ding.
“Even though the tracker has been moving with you, you’re so close to the abusive party, that they can just say, ‘Oh, no need today,'” Wilson warned.
That’s especially troubling for anyone working to leave an abusive environment, who may be trying to surreptitiously access domestic violence resources.
Wilson said that while it’s good the new iOS includes the safety update, there are still pressing consumer security questions Apple needs to answer.
“Why is there a 72-hour wait?” Wilson asked.
“You know that it’s happening, so what are you doing to ensure it doesn’t keep happening?”
The Sun has reached out to Apple for comment.
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