Are AirTags the work of the devil?

 There seems to have been a predictable banter about the stalkers using AirTags, and how the tracking devices are dangerous and of course Apple is to blame.  Simultaneously, there are plenty of predictable articles about "Clever" people using the tags to... track things (as they were designed to do) in order to deter theft.  

So before we dive into any details, let's discuss one basic philosophy:  A person who makes a tool shouldn't be held accountable for how it is used.  That is to say, the blacksmith who makes a hammer shouldn't be punished when someone uses it to maim or kill someone.  

This is assuming that it has material uses outside of the "evil" ones.  For example, BitTorrent can be used to distribute perfectly legal files, and hence it is perfectly legal.  (This is called "Substantial non-infringing use" in the copyright world).  

Likewise, your color printer can be used to counterfeit money, but you would be arrested for that crime before anyone at Epson, HP or Cannon.  The printer company may have created the tool, but it had many uses, and you are the one who decided to use it for something illegal.  

A tire iron can be used to change your tires, or break into a house, but the tire iron company doesn't get into trouble every time someone breaks into a house using one of heir tools - because they have another use.  

In fact, in the extreme case, in the United States, gun manufacturers don't get into trouble for selling devices that kill people, even though they are designed to kill people.  

Guns in the US are perhaps a special case, as in many countries, selling many types of guns to civilians is in fact illegal.  Selling or possessing certain drugs, weapons, lock picks, and other criminal implements, etc. are all illegal or require permits in certain countries around the world.  This is usually because the items in question don't have much of a legitimate use, and would be used primarily for the illegal purpose.  

Now, back to AirTags.  Apple created these devices to find keychains, and other personal items.  They aren't GPS trackers, and have no networking, and need to be within range of an Apple device to be located.  

In practice, since Apple Devices are very popular in numerous countries around the world, there is a good chance that you will find your lost item as long as it is in one of those countries and near civilization.  

Let's look at predecessor devices:

1. Other KeyRing finder devices - there are numerous similar devices that use non-bluetooth RF.  Typically there will be several trackers, and one base station with multiple buttons.  These devices are relatively cheap, and have limited range.  They are basically only useful for items lost inside your house.  

2. GPS Loggers / GPS Trackers

These are the type of devices used by the police, FBI, and private detectives.  They contain a battery and GPS Receiver, and can be mounted to a vehicle, usually to the bottom, often with magnets.  A GPS Logger will simply record the time and location data for later review, a GPS tracker will have some sort of networking (Usually mobile data like GPRS, Edge, or LTE, but sometimes SigFox, etc.) and allow for the device (and hence the target) to be monitored in real time from anywhere with coverage.  In general, anyone can purchase one of these devices in most countries, although whether or not using them is legal typically depends on how they are used.    

3. Tile and other Bluetooth Trackers (Mamorio, Chipolo, etc).  

Tile is the most famous of the companies that sells Bluetooth trackers (or was until Apple came along, anyway).  These devices are essentially a "smart" version of the RF KeyRing finder devices listed above.  They use bluetooth instead of a proprietary RF signal, and thus can use a smart phone instead of a special base station.  

The phone can be used to scan for and activate the device (causing it to beep),  but bluetooth only has a relatively short range.  Most of these devices have the added advantage that pressing a button on the tracker will cause the linked smart phone to beep as well.  

Although bluetooth only has a short range, other phones with the tracker company's app can find the bluetooth trackers, and report them back to the tracking company, which can then send a notification to the smartphone belonging to the owner of said bluetooth tracker - complete with the location of the smart phone that sensed the tracker.  

In this way, although the devices have no wide area networking and no GPS, it is possible to find the approximate location of a tracker that is out of range from the owner - so long as someone running the appropriate app has come within range of the targeted tracker.  

With that done, let's see how the Apple AirTags compare:

1. They do not have GPS

2. They do not have Wide Area Networking

3. They use Bluetooth

Hence, they are most similar to Tile and other Bluetooth trackers from above.  

In fact, there are two major things that differentiate the AirTags from other bluetooth trackers:

1. The directional indicator that shows where the AirTag is when used with recent Apple Devices

2. The "App" that needs to be installed is built into the operating system of recent Apple devices.  This means that while for example, Tile devices can only be found by a small minority of users who have installed the Tile app, an AirTag can be found by any recent Apple iOS device.  

So what this means in practical terms is that it's easier to find out exactly where in a room the tracker is if you can't hear it.  More importantly, given the much larger number of devices that will be looking for it, it's far more likely that the owner of a lost tracker will get a hit much sooner, and much more often.  

Okay, so the AirTag is a bit more practical to use for finding tags lost outside of the home - but it isn't really anything new.  It's simply a somewhat more practical version of something that already exists.  Even that improvement isn't based on some fancy new technology, but Apple's monopoly power to basically force everyone to run the app all the time in the background as a standard service since they control both the OS and the trackers.  Basically, it's as if Tile or Mamorio owned Android or vice versa.  

So now that we a little background, we can get down to brass tacks.  Apple basically cloned existing Bluetooth trackers, added a feature to show which direction the tracker is in when close by, and bundled the detection service into their operating system.  Nothing really super special, just a good execution of an already existing idea.  

Intended use case

The prototypical use case for these trackers is for your keys, but they can also be used to track backpacks, purses, coats, or just about anything else you want to avoid losing.  Any way around it, the intended use case it to attach the AirTag to something you personally own, and it can then be activated from your iOS device if you lose your item.  It will beep if close by, and wait for a discover report if it's out of range.  

What about anti-theft?

It's obvious that AirTags aren't intended for anti-theft usage, since:

1. The will make a sound when they are moved if they haven't been near the owner's registered phone for over 24 hours.

2. A message will be displayed on the device of any user who travels with the tags, but without the owner for a significant period of time.  

This means that the thief will be notified that he is being tracked, and eventually the location of the tracker will be given away by a shimmering sound - Not ideal if you want to stealthily track someone.    

What about Stalking?

"Stalking" is perhaps ill defined, but let's define it here as "following or tracking the location someone who doesn't want to be followed without their knowledge or permission".  

Assuming you are tracking a vehicle, the best way to do this would be to simply buy one of the GPS trackers mentioned above.  These can range in price from less than $50 to more than $300, depending on features and robustness.  One of these devices will typically allow you to track them anywhere with a GPS and mobile Data Signal - which is most places.  

These devices can give a very accurate location in real-time, even in relatively desolate places.  

The main downside would be that you would need to periodically access the device to change the batteries - assuming it isn't hardwired onto the vehicle it's tracking.  

An RF Key Ring tracker wouldn't work because the range is too short.  

You could use a Bluetooth tracker such as the Tile or AirTag tracker, but the AirTag has anti-stalking features built in as mentioned above (which also spoil its use as an anti-theft device).  If your target has an iOS device, they will know that they are being tracked, as their device will eventually tell them.   Even if they don't have an iOS device, the AirTag itself will make a shimmering sound when it is disturbed if it hasn't been near a device registered to the owner for over 24 hours.  

The main advantages of using a Bluetooth tracker such as an AirTag to track someone are that 1. it is small (and so easy to put in backpacks, etc), and 2. it is cheap.  Another advantage would be the long battery life.  The main disadvantage is that an AirTag will eventually notify the person you are tracking!  Assuming you are trying to do your tracking in secret, the AirTag is a very poor choice.  

The AirTag doesn't particularly allow a stalker to do anything they couldn't do before, and doesn't even track people particularly well.  What's worse, the AirTag can be traced back to the owner by Apple, meaning it probably isn't the best idea to use it for illegal stalking!

There are obvious substantial legal uses for the AirTag, so nobody can claim that it is only created for criminal use.  Furthermore, Apple has already considered the stalking angle and created mitigations for that.  

Honestly, I think Apple has gone too far in that regard - as there are plenty of devices out there already on the market specifically for tracking people without their knowledge.  The AirTag could have been an easy anti-theft solution, but trying to prevent stalking has also prevented anti-theft use.  

In fact, I have an anti-theft bike alarm that has GPS and networking.  It can be set to silent move and used to track a stolen bike.  It's not as small as the AirTag, but still small and light enough to be hidden in a bag.  It could easily be used to track someone without their knowledge.

The reality is that people are simply looking to cash in and complain now that they see a famous name.  The AirTag isn't the first, last, or best device to stalk people.  It's nothing special, and I wouldn't use it if I were a criminal.