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Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers

by devadvance on 12/22/23, 6:40 PM with 15 comments

  • by ajb on 12/22/23, 9:33 PM

    As this is an IETF doc, it's available in multiple formats. For those reading on a phone, the 'htmlized' format is probably easiest:

    https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-detecting-unwant... (This is NOT a suggestion to replace the story link, as from there you can get to the docs GitHub, mailing list etc)

    Others can be selected at the top of the main link. This seems to be the second rev of a draft.

    (Having now read it)

    One interesting point is that non owners get to disable locators if they are moving with them. Which makes sense to allow people to disable hostile trackers, but it also means a thief can disable it. May be the right call, but it does mean a ready market for noncompliant devices will exist unless this is put into law

  • by fmajid on 12/25/23, 11:09 AM

    This is the official joint proposal from Apple and Google. The problem is there is an irreconcilable conflict of interest between the needs of people who use trackers like AirTags for anti-theft purposes, and thus need them not to be detectable or possibly disabled by thieves, and the needs of people who are stalked to identify and disable trackers they don’t control. I don’t see how the conflict can be resolved, other than allowing only police to do that, but it would be very cumbersome for victims of stalking.

    Also, since Apple’s Find My network is open to third-party manufacturers, unless they have some authentication mechanism, there is nothing preventing a manufacturer from defecting and implementing a tracker that uses the network, is not detectable by not having a beeper, but still implements the rest of the protocol to be locatable.

  • by khaki54 on 12/25/23, 4:57 AM

    This is a perfect example of the road to hell being paved with good intentions. Cheap, fit for purpose tracking equipment has been available since the 90s and only become more capable.

    These consumer grade air tag and tile devices are a practical way to track all your things, but allowing people to disable them or even alerting to their presence kind of defeats the purpose.

  • by happeecaw231 on 12/26/23, 6:41 PM

    How would it work if my tracker is with me on a train with 20 other people in close proximity for let’s say 5 hour trip? Would they all get warnings about my tracker that I am using for my own keys and also get to disable it?

  • by dkjaudyeqooe on 12/22/23, 11:47 PM

    Alternatively, there's a ready market for bags that are also Faraday cages.