Stalking and theft damage ... Apple strengthens countermeasures against successive abuses of AirTag "Customer safety is the most important"

A tag "AirTag" for loss prevention released by Apple in April last year. Attach it to your belongings, such as your keys or wallet, and use your mobile phone to track its location. However, there are a number of cases where this function is abused and used for stalking and theft overseas. [Video] "New measures" taken by Apple Inc. The New York Times on December 30 last year reported a stalker whose location information was tracked for 4 hours by an AirTag that a woman did not know at all. In Canada, an investigation is underway into five cases in which thieves allegedly slipped AirTags into vehicles with the intention of stealing them.

Ms. Akiko Takahashi, IT Journalist/Seikei University Visiting Professor

Akiko Takahashi, an IT journalist and a visiting professor at Seikei University, explained the background of these problems, saying, ``From the beginning (of the market), it can be used (among some users) to watch over children and prevent cheating. Some people actually used it to prevent theft of their own car, but conversely, it was used to steal other people's cars and stalkers. It can also be misused for With a width of only 3 cm, AirTag can be used in sync with the iPhone's "Find" function. Apple has long had a way to get a notification on your iPhone if an unfamiliar AirTag is nearby for a long time. However, in response to the recent abuse damage, Takahashi says that new measures are being taken. "We had decided that (alerts) would sound (alerts) if (the AirTag) was moving while away from its original owner for three days, but three days was too long. , so that you can be aware that you are being stalked, etc. In addition, we have released an app for Android (no alerts). Users will be able to notice it in the same way as iPhone users."

Apple store

In addition, on the 25th of this month, Apple revised the "Safety Guide" for using Apple devices. Added new information on what users should do when an unknown AirTag is spotted or an alert sounds. “Apple takes the safety of our customers very seriously, and we are also committed to privacy and security for AirTags. AirTags are the first in the industry to notify users when unknown AirTags are together. , is designed with a series of proactive measures to prevent it from being used for unwanted tracking, and prevents it from being used for malicious purposes." (Apple's comment) (From "ABEMA Hills")