Apple And Google Collaborate To Combat Unwanted Tracking Through Bluetooth Devices

Apple and Google are working together to prevent unauthorized tracking by Bluetooth devices, which were developed to assist users to discover lost keys, monitor luggage, and identify other items that are prone to being misplaced or lost.

On Tuesday, the developers of the iPhone and the Android operating system filed a proposal to establish guidelines for preventing covert spying on Apple’s AirTag trackers and related devices.

The idea is also supported by Samsung, the company that sells the most Android smartphones globally, as well as tracking devices like the AirTag from Tile, Chipolo, and Pebblebee.

Since its 2021 introduction, the AirTag has grown in popularity as a tool for consumers to locate a variety of lost items.

However, stalkers have also used AirTags and comparable items to follow people, including former lovers and others who are unaware they are being followed.

According to Dave Burke, Google’s vice president of engineering for Android, “Bluetooth trackers have produced tremendous user benefits, but they also bring the potential for unauthorized tracking, which requires industry-wide action to solve.”

By the end of this year, Apple and AirTag want to have a strategy to counter stealth tracking in place.

Android and iPhone software upgrades would be used to disseminate the solution.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence’s Safety Net Project’s senior director, Erica Olsen, praised the initiative to establish an industry standard because she thinks it will assist protect victims of abusive relationships and other persons who have been the target of stealth technology.