Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency

Re:Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency by t_h_r_o_w_away on Tuesday January 25, 2022 @10:43AM (#30073033)

Is there a way to scan my immediate area for an AirTag?

I would buy a device I could plug in to my car's USB that would alert me if an AirTag was near.

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Re:Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency by ilogik on Tuesday January 25, 2022 @11:16AM (#30073584)

if you have an Android device, Apple created an Android app for this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.trac...

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Re:Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency by acheron on Tuesday January 25, 2022 @11:15AM (#30073555)

Yes. It's called an iPhone.

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Re:Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency by rjmunro on Tuesday January 25, 2022 @12:06PM (#30074401)

Can an iPhone detect other people's AirTags? What about an iPad? How do I do that?

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Re:Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency by throwaway894345 on Tuesday January 25, 2022 @12:12PM (#30074492)

I'm not the OP nor am I sure about the specific answer to your question, but an iPhone will alert you if there's an airtag that's following you around which doesn't belong to you. In other words, if someone is tracking you it will alert you. There is also an app for Android that does the same.

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Re:Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency by raxxorrax on Wednesday January 26, 2022 @03:46AM (#30083230)

So Apple has a tool against stalking caused by their own products. Reports of abuse are rising though. Technically trackers are illegal in Germany, but the law and legislation acts slowly.

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Re:Apple's AirTag uncovers a secret German intelligence agency by waste_monk on Thursday January 27, 2022 @12:22AM (#30096543)

As I understand it's just a Bluetooth Low Energy beacon, at least for the coarse-grain positioning.

I don't know of any portable devices that specifically hunt BLE (I understand Cisco CleanAir technology can monitor and report on BLE but that's for fixed wireless installations) but I would imagine a generic 2.4GHz RF detector would work, assuming there's not too much RF pollution nearby... drive out somewhere isolated and have a scan.

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