AirTag-Related Anti-Stalking Measures Appear in iOS 15.4 Beta

pcmag.com:

Apple has reportedly introduced new anti-stalking measures in the latest iOS 15 beta release.

9to5Mac reports that iOS 15.4 Beta 4 includes a variety of changes to Find My, the app that allows Apple customers to keep track of their devices, as well as the AirTag setup process.

These changes, which Apple previewed earlier this month, include clarification that setting up an AirTag connects the device to the owner's Apple ID, more granular notification settings to allow people to be notified by the Tracking feature without being bombarded by Find My alerts, and a warning to new users.

"In an upcoming software update, every user setting up their AirTag for the first time will see a message that clearly states that AirTag is meant to track their own belongings, that using AirTag to track people without consent is a crime in many regions around the world, that AirTag is designed to be detected by victims, and that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag," Apple said in a Feb. 10 statement.

Apple has come under increasing scrutiny in the last few months over concerns about the AirTag enabling stalking. (It's also been used by car thieves to follow potential marks.) That criticism has led to numerous updates as well as an official AirTag detector for Android devices.

Those changes won't stop the AirTag from being used for nefarious purposes, however, especially since tinkerers have started to yank the speakers used to warn people they're being followed by a rogue AirTag out of the devices so they can be sold on sites like eBay and Etsy. Sellers we spoke with say the intention with removing speakers was to not alert thieves to an AirTag's presence, but it goes both ways, of course.

Posit