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Ask HN: AirTag in my Kid's Backpack

by ryeguy_24 on 6/2/22, 5:53 PM with 3 comments

So, I was just looking at AirTags for putting in my 4-year old's backpack. I'm not really going to do it but after seeing abduction movies, the thought certainly crossed my mind.

However, based on the following Apple page:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212227

It seems like if an iPhone user abducts someone with an AirTag in their pocket, the abductor would get notified that an AirTag is traveling with them.

I guess it can't be used for this purpose??? Any thoughts or has anyone effectively used it for tracking their young kid?

  • by al_borland on 6/2/22, 6:04 PM

    AirTags seem to be built around the idea that people are generally good. So either you misplaced something and need to find it, or someone finds your thing and wants to get it back to you.

    Much like razor blades in Halloween candy or quicksand, I think the media makes abductions seem much more common than they actually are.

    That being said, an AirTag in the backpack might not be a bad idea. Kids forget stuff. When the backpack comes up missing, it would be nice to have a way to track it down. And in the event the kid is just lost, it would still be useful. On the off chance there was an abduction (although I don't think you should worry about it), the notification might be enough to scare them into dumping the kid off somewhere instead of hunting for the tracking device.

  • by hindsightbias on 6/2/22, 6:02 PM

    Why would you be worried if you are a highly trained ex-CIA agent?