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Show HN: Undetectag, track stolen items with AirTag

(undetectag.com)
114 points pompidoo | 1 comments | 15 May 25 15:46 UTC | HN request time: 0.37s | source

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?

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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 #
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 #
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 #
WatchDog ◴[16 May 25 02:30 UTC] No.44001317[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 #
anonymousiam ◴[16 May 25 04:50 UTC] No.44001937[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 #
1. 1shooner ◴[16 May 25 23:09 UTC] No.44010613[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.