This new gadget can instantly find a hidden AirTag

Posted:
in General Discussion
A firm that has made wireless scanning devices for law enforcement has announced a version for consumers that can immediately detect AirTags, long before Apple's anti-stalking features start sounding off.




Apple's AirTags have highlighted the issue of stalking, and come in for valid criticism even as they've also lead to the arrest and jailing of stalkers. It's true, though, that AirTags can take at least hours before a user gets a tracking alert on their iPhones.

It's also true that Android users don't get those alerts unless they already know to have downloaded an app. And furthermore, people are reselling AirTags with the chirping speaker removed for extra stealth.

Scott N. Schober, president and CEO of security firm Berkeley Varitronics Systems (BVS) has begun crowdfunding for a handheld consumer AirTags detector called the Bluesleuth-Lite. It follows decades of working with law enforcement and others to produce industrial-strength trackers at industrial high prices.

"We've taken years of R&D that we've already poured into our expensive solutions, and miniaturized them, all into an affordable, palm-sized solution that can attach to any keyring," says Schober in a video on his Kickstarter page.

The Bluesleuth-Lite needs recharging every day, and comes with both a mini USB connection, and Qi wireless charging.

Schober is seeking $18,000 in funding via Kickstarter. At time of writing, he's got $13,467, with a week left to go before its Thursday, March 2, 2023 end date.

As with any Kickstarter, product shipment is not guaranteed, and there is little if any recourse if the project goes bad. However, given that the company has ties to law enforcement, they are likely motivated to ship the product, and not defraud backers.

Read on AppleInsider
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    However, given that the company has ties to law enforcement, they are likely motivated to ship the product, and not defraud backers.

    Well, that part is a bit of a stretch, but overall this seems like a great piece of kit.
  • Reply 2 of 8
    Sounds like a cool idea.  What doesn't sound cool is the $650 retail price for such a gadget.  $65?  Yes.  $650?  No sale.
  • Reply 3 of 8
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,127member
    It's not just Airtags - the Kickstarter page says it should work with all Bluetooth trackers. "All major BLE trackers (AirTag, Tile, Galaxy Smart Tags, PebbleBee, Chipolo, etc.) are immediately detected and displayed by name and icon making hidden ones easy to locate and identify."

    So, it should also work with Tile in that ID required hidden mode which was announced last week.
    lollivercaladanianFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 4 of 8
    What a great gadget.... for car thieves!
    mark fearinglollivercaladaniang-med
  • Reply 5 of 8
    isidore said:
    What a great gadget.... for car thieves!
    Exactly. Every thief will carry one now. No more using them in cars ETC to find after they are stolen. Nice going...
    lollivercaladaniang-med
  • Reply 6 of 8
    maltzmaltz Posts: 454member
    isidore said:
    What a great gadget.... for car thieves!
    Exactly. Every thief will carry one now. No more using them in cars ETC to find after they are stolen. Nice going...

    Surely you have to know this by now, but...  This is explicitly NOT what AirTags are intended for.  Apple has always been very open that they are to find *lost* items, not recover *stolen* items, choosing to fully prioritize anti-stalking over anti-theft.  The functional requirements of stalking and anti-theft use cases are identical, the only difference being the intent of the person doing the tracking.

    That's not to say I don't think Apple could improve this balance.  Perhaps with the addition of a "stolen" mode that puts the AirTag into a stealth mode, disabling beeps and anti-stalking notifications, but also locks you out of being able to see where the AirTag is - allowing only police to track it, including history, until the mode is turned off.  Then when you file a police report, they can see where the AirTag has been while "stolen" for their investigation.
    beowulfschmidt
  • Reply 7 of 8
    maltz said:
    isidore said:
    What a great gadget.... for car thieves!
    Exactly. Every thief will carry one now. No more using them in cars ETC to find after they are stolen. Nice going...

    Surely you have to know this by now, but...  This is explicitly NOT what AirTags are intended for.  Apple has always been very open that they are to find *lost* items, not recover *stolen* items, choosing to fully prioritize anti-stalking over anti-theft.  The functional requirements of stalking and anti-theft use cases are identical, the only difference being the intent of the person doing the tracking.

    That's not to say I don't think Apple could improve this balance.  Perhaps with the addition of a "stolen" mode that puts the AirTag into a stealth mode, disabling beeps and anti-stalking notifications, but also locks you out of being able to see where the AirTag is - allowing only police to track it, including history, until the mode is turned off.  Then when you file a police report, they can see where the AirTag has been while "stolen" for their investigation.
    Allowing only police to track it? Please explain how that works. Do the police get some sort of decryption key? Does Apple hand over this secret decryption key to the government? Would car thieves not be able to decode the encrypted signal, and would car thieves even need to decode it to tell that there's one there?
  • Reply 8 of 8
    I'm waiting for this "detection tech" to be included in new cars, available through the Infotainment system's home page. Also, a new car model could come with a dozen or more official mounting locations (for Apple AirTags, if not other models) hidden inside the vehicle in hard-to-reach places. With so many places, a thief would have a hard time finding them.
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