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Show HN: Undetectag, track stolen items with AirTag

(undetectag.com)
114 points pompidoo | 20 comments | 15 May 25 15:46 UTC | HN request time: 1.495s | source | bottom

I developed a device that turns an Airtag on and off at specific intervals. Current Airtags are detectable right away and cannot be used to track stolen property. That device allows you to hide an Airtag in your car, for example, and someone that steals your car will not be able to use some app to detect it. The Airtag will also not warn the thief of its presence. After some hours, the Airtag turns on again and you can find out its location. It’s not foolproof, as the timing has to be right, but still useful.

What do you think?

1. anonymousiam ◴[15 May 25 22:49 UTC] No.44000140[source]▶
A poor workaround to a problem created by unnecessary restrictions. Stalking is already illegal, so why are the tags crippled in the first place? This "feature" severely limits the usefulness of tags for tracking stolen items. Why not just sell some tags that don't alert everyone to their presence? Police and intelligence agencies have those already, so who are we protecting?
replies(2): >>44000160 #>>44000392 #
2. pavel_lishin ◴[15 May 25 22:54 UTC] No.44000160[source]▶
Breaking and entering is already illegal, why do people sell locks?
replies(2): >>44000222 #>>44000543 #
3. anonymousiam ◴[15 May 25 23:01 UTC] No.44000222[source]▶
Like tags, locks are also deliberately encumbered so that locksmiths and law enforcement can easily defeat them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5jzHw3lXCQ

replies(2): >>44000461 #>>44000780 #
4. 1shooner ◴[15 May 25 23:30 UTC] No.44000392[source]▶
> Stalking is already illegal, so why are the tags crippled in the first place?

I assume because it's a network that relies on its reputation among participating nodes to trust it will not be used to track them involuntarily, else they would opt out and collapse the network.

replies(1): >>44001072 #
5. somanyphotons ◴[15 May 25 23:45 UTC] No.44000461{3}[source]▶
Are there people out there who sell locks that aren't purposefully bad?
replies(2): >>44000671 #>>44003192 #
6. tedunangst ◴[16 May 25 00:01 UTC] No.44000543[source]▶
Locks keep the dyslexic realtor from showing my house to people interested in the neighboring property.
replies(1): >>44000818 #
7. itsanaccount ◴[16 May 25 00:25 UTC] No.44000671{4}[source]▶
you ask great questions about power! and yes. though you'll generally find the lock isn't the interesting bit, reinforcing the door frame and door and putting pins at the top/bottom and side is how its done.

otherwise 25 dollars at TSC for a fence post driver will make 95% of residential entryways irrelevant.

8. thaumasiotes ◴[16 May 25 00:45 UTC] No.44000780{3}[source]▶
That video makes no suggestion that the locks have been deliberately sabotaged. The theory in the video is nothing more than that the company is incompetent at making locks.
9. ruined ◴[16 May 25 00:54 UTC] No.44000818{3}[source]▶
yeah, but they do nothing to stop a locksmith in a fugue state from rekeying all the bolts to match the neighboring property and vice-versa, and then the realtor can walk right in, and you're locked out!

so it's better to just leave the door open.

replies(1): >>44000891 #
10. amazingamazing ◴[16 May 25 01:07 UTC] No.44000891{4}[source]▶
You’re proving the other persons point - the reason why the a thief doesn’t trivially pick locks isn’t because of the lock, it’s because it’s illegal and there’s a consequence.
replies(2): >>44001785 #>>44010666 #
11. anonymousiam ◴[16 May 25 01:40 UTC] No.44001072[source]▶
On a related topic, I've opted out of Google's BLE tracking/repeating feature. Apple provides no way to do this. The extra battery drain is significant and measurable, and I did not sign up for this when I purchased my devices.

https://support.google.com/android/thread/284190689/how-to-o...

replies(1): >>44001317 #
12. WatchDog ◴[16 May 25 02:30 UTC] No.44001317{3}[source]▶
You can disable it on iPhone by:

Go to: Settings → your name → Find My → Find My iPhone

Toggle “Find My network” → OFF

It should be noted that this will also disable your ability to find your own airtags.

replies(1): >>44001937 #
13. throwaway290 ◴[16 May 25 04:14 UTC] No.44001785{5}[source]▶
Yes it's illegal and there's a consequence but do you care about it after you've been robbed?
replies(1): >>44003063 #
14. anonymousiam ◴[16 May 25 04:50 UTC] No.44001937{4}[source]▶
Turning this off doesn't necessarily stop your phone from participating in the "Find My" network, it just prevents your items from being seen. Your phone will continue to relay BLE/UWB traffic for others, and run down your battery more quickly.

Turning off Bluetooth seems to disable the traffic, but then you can no longer access your local Bluetooth devices.

replies(2): >>44007511 #>>44010613 #
15. amazingamazing ◴[16 May 25 08:36 UTC] No.44003063{6}[source]▶
You could say the same with a lock. Do you care once it’s broken?
replies(1): >>44004212 #
16. HenryBemis ◴[16 May 25 08:56 UTC] No.44003192{4}[source]▶
People like Microsoft?

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28691191/Why-did-...

EDIT: Like in the hotels, you got a key for your room, but the hotel management has a "passpartout" key (for back in the day when we had physical keys). The phrase "<thing> must accept interference, but not cause any". So you/we must be able to receive the 'punch' and not resist.

17. throwaway290 ◴[16 May 25 11:45 UTC] No.44004212{7}[source]▶
The point of a lock is that it's something to break. That takes skill and visible equipment. The more skill yoo require the more likely the smart guy would do better things to earn money than crime. the more visible equipment the easier it is to track.
18. gruez ◴[16 May 25 16:48 UTC] No.44007511{5}[source]▶
>Turning this off doesn't necessarily stop your phone from participating in the "Find My" network, it just prevents your items from being seen. Your phone will continue to relay BLE/UWB traffic for others, [...]

Source?

19. 1shooner ◴[16 May 25 23:09 UTC] No.44010613{5}[source]▶
This is wild, but it seems correct, none of the documentation I can find mentions opting out as a sensor that will pass data to Apple. On the other hand, on my Mac no apps are granted access to Location Services, which includes Find My. I don't have an iOS device but it seems like maybe you'd have similarly granular control?

If they are forcing you to transmit data, then it might make even more sense that Apple would steer clear of usage that could create liability for their users.

20. ruined ◴[16 May 25 23:19 UTC] No.44010666{5}[source]▶
consequences for doing something illegal never stopped me from picking a lock, actually. they've only stopped me from stealing