cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/795697
Archived version: https://archive.ph/55yyZ
Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20230728012552/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/android-phones-can-now-tell-you-if-theres-an-airtag-following-you/
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But we still don’t have an equivalent android tag.
Aren’t there a number of small gps trackers on the market that are compatible with Android? Tile and Chipolo to name a couple.
That’s the amazing thing about air tags that no other tracker can offer. For better or for worse, every modern iPhone is - by default - reporting the location of nearby tags. It’s nearly impossible to actually lose something with an AirTag on it assuming it doesn’t come off and the area has even the faintest cell signal.
That’s far from the case with tile or any other tracker.
I’m optimistic Google will be able to wave a hand and bam now 2 billion Android devices do it courtesy of Google Play Services
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I understand but the concern but your device is reporting the location anonymously and you are not tied to the report.
You do you. But they really only violate your privacy if they’re following you. And that’s what the warning is about.
I know a few people that hide them in their bike frames. Will it tell bike thieves that the tag hidden in the stolen bike is following them?
They’re not anti theft devices. Never were. They are anti losing my shit devices.
Slap one on your keys, wallet, etc, and when you lose them, you can track them to see where they ended up falling out of your pocket.
If you want a tracking device, pay for one. They’ll use a SIM card, be undetectable, and track perfectly without needing a network of phones.
I think the solution to this problem is embedding the tag into the frame in such a way that removing it would be destructive or at least highly impractical. That’s my plan at least. Waiting for my Chipolo trackers to arrive.
How would you do that, and what’ll you do when it runs out of battery?
Embedding it also reduces range by a lot. Gplama did a test
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/aLtWN1Mp2Qc
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
After reading this, I’m wondering how a phone could differentiate an Airtag following me from for example a guy with an Airtag sitting somewhere near me while inside a train for two hours.
When I visit family via train, google knows I was on a train ( maps timeline ), so maybe they can tell by how straight the travel is ?
Wow, you let google watch you all the time? My location stays turned off unless needed.
How is this relevant in this context ?
This has already existed for a long time now
