To combat stalking with gadgets like AirTag or Tile trackers, Apple and Google have "submitted a proposed" specification, as stated today.
In the coming months, the standard will be finalized with input from tracker manufacturers. Apple said in its press post that it collaborated with a wide variety of device makers and safety/advocacy groups to produce the specification. Several companies have "expressed support" for the specification, including Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, Eufy, and Pebblebee.
There have been numerous reports of trackers like Apple's AirTag trackers being used for malicious stalking in a variety of settings, so this new development is not surprising. We noted in our original study of the AirTag that its tracking capabilities were outstanding for their intended usage, but equally impressive for malevolent ones.
Apple has gradually issued updates and new programs that have reduced (though not entirely eradicated) some of the worries associated with AirTag trackers. iPhone users have greater protection than Android users, who must actively seek out and install a special program to identify and block AirTag trackers. (This is automatically tracked by iOS.) There are few specifics about this new standard or how it will function in today's announcement, but we do know that it will make it simpler to use a variety of devices to prevent unwanted tracking, both in terms of trackers that can be more easily detected and the variety of other devices that can facilitate their detection. This proposal was made by Apple and Google to the IETF, an organization responsible for developing standards for the Internet. Apple and Google want to implement the standard as early as this year, and over the next few months, additional companies will take part in a debate about the proposed standard through that organization.
It is too soon to say whether this norm will have the desired effect or significantly alter the current state of affairs. Nonetheless, action is required because there has been a widespread report of misuse of trackers like these (and not just AirTag) in recent years.
