Today, Apple and Google jointly announced that they have joined forces to address the problem of unwanted tracking by dedicated location tracking devices such as Apple’s AirTag. These have been notoriously used to track individuals without their knowledge, and it has apparently reached a point where companies have finally felt the need to intervene in some way.
This is the way to submit a proposed industry specification that will help combat the misuse of Bluetooth location tracking devices for unwanted tracking. This “first-of-its-kind” specification will allow devices like AirTags to be compatible with “unauthorized tracking detection and alerts across Android and iOS.”
Samsung , Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee have all expressed support for the draft specification, which would be Manufacturers provide instructions and best practices. That’s a strong indicator that at least some parts of the industry are actually willing to work on solving this problem, and that’s a good thing.
A draft specification developed by Apple and Google will await review and comment within the next three months at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). After that time, the companies will work together to address the feedback they have received and will release a production implementation of the specification for unwanted trace alerts by the end of the year. This will be supported in future versions of Android and iOS.
Source 1 | Source 2
