In a collaborative effort, Apple and Google have developed an industry-standard detection feature called “Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers” (DULT) for Bluetooth trackers. This standard allows users on iOS and Android devices to be alerted if an unknown Bluetooth tracker is monitoring their location.
The part where tags are for finding lost, not stolen, items.
Stalking someone and tracking a stolen item without alerting the thief are identical situations, so you simply can’t make a device that works for one and not the other.
One workaround that I can think of is if something like this was properly integrated to police systems, so that when you report the tagged item as stolen, the cops could switch it to a mode that keeps silent.
The trade of there is the police potentially have your location at any given time with the flip of a switch. I’d lose many of my positions before I have the police gang that much power.
They would need to know what tag is yours, it’s not like tags have a subscription based contract with a company that directly links the device to you.
Unlike, you know, a cell phone. Which you carry with you at all times.
Quit reminding me that I purchased, and am reliant on, my own personal surveillance capitalism data-harvesting tracking-device.
Exactly. The tag IDs are anonymous and the clients are E2EE.
I’d be easier just to use cell towers.
Both Apple and Google’s location tracking networks are end to end encrypted. Moreover, Apple and Google have refused to put backdoors into their encryption protocols because it’s a massive opportunity for security exploits that could tank their businesses.
If the cops want to find you, they’re probably just going to ask your phone carrier to triangulate you with their tower network, which they’ve been doing for decades. That’s way faster and easier than jumping through hoops to somehow use the Find My or Find My Device networks.