Deeplinks
We’re pleased to see Apple has come out with an Android app called Tracker Detect that addresses some of the serious threats to privacy and safety we identified with Apple AirTags when they debuted. Quarter-sized Bluetooth-enabled homing beacons marketed as a way to track lost luggage or keys, AirTags can easily be exploited by stalkers to track and locate their victims.
As we explained in May, AirTags can be slipped into a target’s bag or car, allowing abusers to follow their every move. While there are other physical trackers such as Tile and Chipolo on the market, AirTags are an order of magnitude more dangerous because Apple has made every iPhone that doesn’t specifically opt out into a part of the Bluetooth tracking network that AirTags use to communicate, meaning AirTags’ reach is much greater than other trackers. Nearly all of us cross paths with Bluetooth-enabled iPhones multiple times a day, even if we don’t know it.
We called on Apple to create an Android app that alerts users to nearby tracker. Tracker Detect, released on the Google Play store this week, allows people using Android devices to find out if someone is tracking them with an AirTag or other devices equipped with sensors compatible with the Apple Find My network. If the app detects an unexpected AirTag nearby, it will show up in the app as “Unknown AirTag.” The app has an “alarm” of sorts—it will play a sound within 10 minutes of identifying the tracker, a big improvement over the time it takes for an AirTag to start beeping when it’s out of range of the iPhone it’s tethered to: up to 24 hours, plenty of time for a stalker to track a victim without their knowledge.
While not perfect, Tracker Detect is a win for privacy. It gives victims of domestic and intimate partner abuse who exist outside of the Apple ecosystem a fighting chance to learn if they are being tracked or followed. EFF supports a harm reduction approach to privacy, and this app fills an important gap. It will be important to do outreach to domestic violence shelters and other service providers to familiarize them with AirTags and how to use Tracker Detect to run a scan.
At this time, Tracker Detect does not appear to available to download outside of the U.S. and Apple has not said when they intend to roll the app out international
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