Apple and Google join forces to combat the misuse of Bluetooth trackers 🔍

As we explained in a previous article, which you can read by clicking here, Bluetooth trackers such as Apple’s AirTags and Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTags are small devices that we can attach to our everyday objects, such as keys, or slip into our bags and suitcases. If we lose these items, it is easier to find them with our smartphone.

Any technology that falls into wrong hands can be abused. And Bluetooth trackers are no exception. Some malicious people use them to track other people without their knowledge, in order to steal their possessions or worse. Aware of this problem, Apple and Google, the creators of iOS and Android, had already taken individual measures, but this time they decided to collaborate.

The two technology giants have jointly presented a proposed industry specification to combat the misuse of Bluetooth trackers for unwanted tracking purposes. The specification will enable Bluetooth location-based devices to support unauthorised tracking detection and alerts on iOS and Android. Other manufacturers of these types of devices, such as Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security and Pebblebee, have also supported this project. Various security and defence groups have been involved in the development of this specification, which provides best practice and guidance for manufacturers wishing to integrate these capabilities into their products.

The draft specification has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a leading organisation in the development of Internet standards. Interested parties are invited to review the specification and submit comments over the next three months. After the consultation period, Apple and Google will work together to address the comments and publish a final version of the unwanted tracking alerts specification by the end of 2023. This version will then be incorporated into future updates of iOS and Android.