Losing your stuff stinks. Finding your stuff is amazing. Apple entered the tiny Bluetooth tracker game with their new AirTags. These little, round trackers can slip into or be attached to almost anything. Once there, you can track your stuff — wallets, backpacks, cars, your favorite teddy bear — as easily as saying, "Hey Siri, where's teddy?" A speaker on the tracker will let you know where it's at if you are in Bluetooth range. You can also use the Find My app to tap into the community of millions iPhone, iPad, and Mac users around the world to also help track your tiny tracker. Yes, there are privacy concerns. Yes, Apple has taken steps to address these privacy concerns. Here's hoping it's enough.
Co się może stać, jeśli coś pójdzie nie tak?
Apple’s AirTags raised a bit of a fuss when they launched early in 2021. Every review we saw said two things about the AirTags and the Find My app they use on iOS devices. One, they work great. Two, they might work too great. The problem? They seemed too easy to use to track non-consenting humans without their knowledge. Which is pretty creepy.
Fortunately, Apple listened to their users and made some quick changes to mitigate these concerns, like shortening the time it takes for an Airtag to play a sound after it is separated from its owner from three days to between 8 - 24 hours to help alert someone who might have had an Airtag slipped in their bag or car as a way to stalk them. Unfortunately, those changes still weren’t enough, so in February 2022, Apple announced even more updates to AirTags, the Find My app, and to how Apple interacts with law enforcement to help with unwanted tracking. But all that still didn't keep AirTags from popping up in very sad news stories -- involving intimate partner homicide, vigilante justice -- and from being the subject of class action lawsuit. Still, Apple is actively trying to make AirTags safer. In May 2023, they announced that they’re teaming up with Google to draft new Bluetooth tracker safety standards that would allow users to more easily detect unwanted trackers across both iOS and Android devices. And though that is a promising step, some privacy advocates say that “the product is the problem.”
As for Apple’s privacy practices, well, Apple does a pretty good job with privacy and security as a company. They have had some serious security issues, including one in 2022 that could allow hackers to take complete control of iPhones, iPads, and Macs. And another bad security vulnerability that resulted in spyware that could allow bad actors to record calls and messages and even turn the device camera and microphone on without the user knowing. The good thing with Apple and security is, they seem to take these security breaches seriously, jump and fix them immediately, and communicate pretty well with users on what they need to do to stay safe. So keep those devices updated folks! And take those security warnings seriously when you get them. This is also a good reminder that even the best companies can be vulnerable to high-level security bugs and breaches.
Apple's privacy policy says they can collect things like name, email address, age, location, device information, contact information, and more on you when you use their products and services. The good news is, Apple says they treat all this information as personal information. So, things like device ID and the like are treated as securely as your name and age. That’s good. And Apple says they don’t share or sell your data, which is also good. They do say they can share your data with some third parties such as business partners, service providers, and others as you give your permission. For the most part, this sharing looks pretty normal for the services they provide.
And when it comes to AI voice assistants, Siri is a bit more privacy conscious than others like Amazon’s Alexa. Apple says they take special care to make sure your Siri requests aren't associated with you, and those transcripts aren’t subject to human review--anymore. In 2021, Apple made another positive change for your Siri voice requests--many audio requests for things like setting timers or alarms or controlling music are no longer sent over the internet to their servers, instead they are processed directly on your device. This is better for your privacy.
So on the privacy front, yes, Apple is generally better than other Big Tech companies (cough, Meta, cough cough, Amazon, cough Samsung), when it comes to privacy. They aren’t perfect, of course, but they do seem to do a better job at collecting less data because they aren’t trying to sell as many ads as Google and Facebook (yet, at least).
Apple does say they can target you with some personalized ads on their platforms. Apple delivers ads to you on Apple News or App Store, and gives you the option to opt-out of these personalized ads using your Apple ID, which will opt you out of these ads across all Apple devices. However, keep an eye on how Apple does their ads business. Right now it’s not too worrisome to us, but that could change as they look to grow their ad revenue.
What’s the worst that could happen? Well, Apple isn’t perfect, they could do better. And Apple’s AirTags are a special kind of privacy nightmare when others abuse them. While we’re happy to see Apple take steps to prevent them from being used to stalk or spy on people without their consent, that’s still plenty of concern. There are sites on the internet that tell people how to modify or disable the speaker in the Airtag so it can’t alert someone it’s been hidden in their car or purse. A bad person using an Airtag to stalk someone without them knowing is pretty dang creepy. But, that could also happen with any of the Bluetooth trackers on the market. It’s just that Apple’s Find My network is huge, with millions of users, making AirTags potentially the scariest, and the best, tracker on the market.
Wskazówki, jak się chronić
- Check Apple's AirTag guidance to ensure your privacy : https://support.apple.com/HT212227
- Use your device privacy controls to limit access to your personal information via app (do not give access to your camera, microphone, images and videos)
- Limit ad tracking via your device (eg on iPhone go to Privacy -> Advertising -> Limit ad tracking) and biggest ad networks (for Google, go to Google account and turn off ad personalization)
- Use your device privacy controls to limit access to your personal information via app (do not give access to your camera, microphone, images and videos)
- Limit ad tracking via your device (eg on iPhone go to Privacy -> Advertising -> Limit ad tracking) and biggest ad networks (for Google, go to Google account and turn off ad personalization)
Czy może mnie podsłuchiwać?
Aparat
Urządzenie: Nie
Aplikacja: Nie
Mikrofon
Urządzenie: Nie
Aplikacja: Nie
Śledzi położenie
Urządzenie: Tak
Aplikacja: Tak
Czego można użyć do rejestracji?
Tak
Telefon
Nie
Konto firmy trzeciej
Nie
iPhone or iPad is needed
Jakie dane zbiera ta firma?
Osobiste
"Email address, age, name, email address, physical address, phone number, or other contact information are needed to set up the Apple account. Location is collected from the device itself"
Związane z ciałem
Społecznościowe
Jak ta firma wykorzystuje te dane?
Jak możesz kontrolować swoje dane?
Jaka jest znana historia tej firmy w zakresie ochrony danych użytkowników?
In July 2023, Apple and Amazon were fined by Spain antitrust watchdog.
In January 2023, Apple was fined €8M in French privacy case.
In 2022, Apple identified and patched serious security vulnerabiiliites, one that could allow hackers take full control of iOS devices.
In 2022, Apple allegedly gave user data to hackers who faked being law enforcement and forged requests for information.
In 2021, Apple had a recent serious spyware security vulnerability called Pegaus that infected iPhones and other Apple devices.
In 2021, a major data leak was reported of 61 million fitness tracker data records, including Apple's Healthkit data, by the third party company GetHealth. In September 2021, a group of security researchers discovered GetHealth had an unsecured database containing over 61 million records related to wearable technology and fitness services. GetHealth accessed health data belonging to wearable device users around the world and leaked it in an non-password protected, unencrypted database. The list contained names, birthdates, weight, height, gender, and geographical location, as well as other medical data, such as blood pressure.
Informacje o prywatności dziecka
Czy ten produkt może być używany bez połączenia z siecią?
Przyjazne dla użytkownika informacje o prywatności?
Odnośniki do informacji o prywatności
Czy ten produkt spełnia nasze minimalne standardy bezpieczeństwa?
Szyfrowanie
Uses encryption in transit and at rest.
Silne hasło
Aktualizacje zabezpieczeń
Zajmuje się problemami z bezpieczeństwem
Apple has a bug bounty program.
Zasady ochrony prywatności
Some of Apple's AI research can be found at https://machinelearning.apple.com/.
Czy tej sztucznej inteligencji nie można ufać?
Jakie decyzje sztuczna inteligencja podejmuje o Tobie lub za Ciebie?
Czy firma jest przejrzysta w kwestii działania sztucznej inteligencji?
Czy użytkownik ma kontrolę nad funkcjami sztucznej inteligencji?
Dowiedz się więcej
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Amazon and Apple fined $218 million by Spain antitrust watchdogCNN Business
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Apple fined €8M in French privacy casePolitico
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Apple says it prioritizes privacy. Experts say gaps remainThe Guardian
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Apple’s Privacy Mythology Doesn’t Match RealityWired
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An update on AirTag and unwanted trackingApple
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New York Attorney General Issues AirTag Consumer Alert Over Stalking ConcernsMacRumors
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I found my stolen Honda Civic using a Bluetooth tracker. It’s the latest controversial weapon against theft.The Washington Post
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Apple unveils AirTag safety guide amid stalker fearsBBC News
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AirTags are being used to track people and cars. Here's what is being done about itNPR
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AirTags Are Linked to Stalking, and Apple Can't Solve This Problem AloneC Net
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Some are using Apple Air Tags to track strangers. Here’s what security experts want you to know about the devices.Boston.com
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The Best Bluetooth TrackerNew York Times
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Modified AirTags pose major privacy concerns, especially for Android usersZDNET
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Apple updates AirTags to address stalking concernsEngadget
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Stop Pretending Apple and Amazon's Bluetooth Networks Can't Be AbusedGizmodo
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Someone can track you with a Tile or AirTag – Red flags you’re being followedKomando.com
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Remember, Apple AirTags and ‘Find My’ app only work because of a vast, largely covert tracking networkThe Conversation
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AirTag review: They work great—maybe a little too greatArs Technica
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Apple to update AirTags with new privacy warnings, better warning sounds, smarter Find My trackingCNET
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AirTag anti-stalking measures tested — and they're not good enoughTom's Guide
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I tracked my kid with Apple's Airtags to test its privacy featuresCNN
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AirTag vs Tile: What's the Difference?Gear Patrol
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Apple Data Breaches: Full Timeline Through 2021Firewall Times
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New Tile Devices Prove That AirTags Have Room For ImprovementForbes
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