“Class, next time bring your textbook from last semester!” This kind of request makes me wish that the textbooks are digitally registered or tagged, just like files in a computer, so that I do not need to search them out manually. However, thanks to technological advancement, a product that can resolve this issue is now available — Apple’s AirTag. Alongside the obvious benefits of this technology, the AirTag also presents ethical concerns that need to be addressed in order to promote a safer life and personal well-being for every one of us.
For those not familiar with it, the AirTag is a type of electronic tracker that can be hung on any object to help owners locate their belongings. It allows people to keep track of their items through their iPhone’s bluetooth function.
Undoubtedly, the AirTag is an appealing product at first glance. With AirTags, users don’t have to constantly remember where they’ve left possessions that can be easily misplaced, such as keys, wallets, and even luggage. The AirTag can also be used to keep track of elderly individuals with Alzheimer's disease who may wander around and lose their way. However, despite all of these benefits, the AirTag can also give rise to many disturbing problems.
First, the AirTag can track people without their consent. Since the size of an AirTag is similar to that of a coin, it can be secretly put in someone’s bag or pocket. Although an iPhone will notify their user that there is an unknown AirTag besides them, there is a significant time gap between deploying an AirTag and notifying the one being tracked.
Before June, 2021, an AirTag sent a notification to a person’s device within three days after being placed in their vicinity. Although it now takes 8 to 24 hours for the AirTag to inform nearby people, there is still a chance that people can be tracked within this timeframe [1]! This delay indicates that someone can be tracked for up to a day. What is worse is that for non-iOS users, it seems impossible for the device to detect any AirTag. Fortunately, Apple recently launched an application on Google Play Store to provide Android users with the ability to detect the AirTag [2]. Though there is an app available for Android users, there are still some inconveniences in terms of the app. To make the app function, Android users have to turn on bluetooth, open the application, agree to terms and conditions, and tap the blue scan button to search for nearby items, which is redundant compared with iOS’s automatic detection. In addition, an AirTag will be detected only if it is separated from the owner for 15 minutes at minimum, which timeframe still poses a threat to Android users [2]. Last, the AirTag can be really intimidating if the person being tracked does not have a smartphone, which is a minor case, though.
Second, Apple’s public impression of lack of a sense of responsibility on privacy protection raises another important concern. According to the Washington Post, Apple did not respond to The Post or Fast Company about whether it conferred with experts on intimate-partner violence in the development of AirTags, which raises concerns on whether Apple is shouldering the responsibility to protect user’s data and human rights [3]. There is the suspicion that Apple is overlooking risks to privacy and other forms of abuse depending on what serves its business interests.
Despite these potential concerns, the AirTag may still have a considerable number of users with its affordability and usefulness. As a result, public policies are needed to control the potential misuse of tracking devices to protect the mass. Specifically, Apple can consider installing face or fingerprint recognition on the AirTag, which would require tag owners to verify that they are keeping track of items or people only with consent. If fingerprint or facial recognition is not completed within a required time, signaling a lack of consent, a warning alarm should be triggered. Moreover, Apple needs to enhance the sense of responsibility for protecting users’ privacy. It had better promote more user-friendly designs and consider more for the users’ wellbeing instead of posing the impression that it merely cares about its business.
By understanding and addressing the ethical concerns of technology such as the AirTag, society can avoid the dangers of being exploited and continue to flourish.
[1] CNET. 13 Dec. 2021, www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-launches-airtags-and-find-my-detector-app-for-android-in-effort-to-boost-privacy/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2021.
[2] CNET. 15 Dec. 2021, www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/android-users-get-this-apple-app-if-you-dont-want-airtags-tracking-you/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2021.
[3] The Washington Post. 13 May 2021. Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/13/apple-airtag-tracking-threats-abuse/. Accessed 18 Dec. 2021.