Ethically, the power to covertly track things with AirTags is a doubled-edged sword.
The tiny Bluetooth devices from Apple are notoriously creepy. However, according to the Portland Tribune, they also helped one Portland, Oregon, lawyer prove that a city contractor was illegally sending unhoused people's property to the landfill.
Michael Fuller, a lawyer working to stop city-sponsored sweeps of homeless encampments, reportedly attached 16 AirTags to personal items belonging to people living in Portland's Laurelhurst Park. He did so with the people's permission, hoping to show that a city contractor conducting the sweeps was dumping those possessions at the Recology Oregon waste transfer station instead of moving them to a warehouse, as required by law, for people to later claim.
"Due to the tracking technology, we have proof positive that Rapid Response broke the law and took property that was perfectly clean and sanitary, and belonged to homeless people, and took them to the dump," Fuller told the Portland Tribune.
Shark RV2310 Matrix Vacuum With Self-Cleaning Brushroll—$179.99(List Price $299.99)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet—$142.49(List Price $219.99)
Apple AirPods With Wired Charging Case (2nd Gen)—$69.00(List Price $129.00)
Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker With 6-Months Membership—$99.95(List Price $159.95)
Apple Watch Series 9 (GPS, 41mm, Midnight, S/M, Sports Band)—$279.99(List Price $399.00)
AirTags, which Apple unveiled in April of 2021, have been problematic from the start. The small Bluetooth-powered discs can be discretely attached to everyday items, and, via the collective power of Apple's Find My network, enable people to locate their lost possessions with relative ease.
As privacy advocates like EFF Director of Cybersecurity Evan Galperin have pointed out, AirTags offer unparalleled opportunities for abusers looking to keep tabs on people.
Tweet may have been deleted
Notwithstanding Apple's belated efforts to make it harder for would-be stalkers to misuse their products, AirTags remain a cheap and effective tool for abuse.
Fuller, it seems, was able to briefly flip the script — using AirTags to help the vulnerable at the expense of the powerful. And it doesn't sound like he's going to stop any time soon.
SEE ALSO: AirTags are scarily good at tracking items and...people. I know because I tried.
"We're going to keep doing this as long as these sweeps continue," he insisted to the Portland Tribune.
TopicsAppleCybersecurityPrivacySocial Good
(责任编辑：百科)
Make money or go to Stanford? Katie Ledecky is left with an unfair choice.
You'll actually want to watch these stop
Someone got banned from Club Penguin in 39 seconds
Please: You can come out as gay, you can't 'come out' as conservativeDaughter gives her 100Is Samsung's Galaxy Note7 really the best phone?
On this week's 。 MashTalk 。, Lance, Pete and I talk about the new hot smartphone in town: Samsung's Ga
...[详细]AT&T brings back its unlimited data plan for everyone — too bad it sucks
It's official: unlimited data plans are back.Following Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, AT&T finall
...[详细]Vandals removed all the train seats in this carriage and stacked 'em gently
You need a "DGAF" attitude to start vandalising public property, but whoever did thisis on a whole n
...[详细]#BagelGate, the train fight that rocked social media, gave us some glorious jokes
The nation was transfixed Monday afternoon after footage emerged of an incident on a train involving
...[详细]Donald Trump's tangled web of Russian influence
Donald Trump has had ties to Russia for decades, but they've thickened as his campaign for the White
...[详细]New iPhone might have a 'function area' instead of a home button
There's no lack of rumors about the upcoming iPhone's screen, which is widely expected to be coverin
...[详细]Wife accidentally donates husband's shirt with $8,000 in pocket to Goodwill
Always check those pockets before you donate your old clothes.Bob Hoffmann of Placentia, California
...[详细]High quality toilet paper saves dude from a nightmare
Don't buy the crappy toilet paper -- your body deserves better.While most people purchase the good t
...[详细]Here's what 'Game of Thrones' actors get up to between takes
Warning: Contains some mild Season 6 spoilers right at the end (the video is spoiler-free).。LONDON -
...[详细]'Hearthstone: Journey to Un'Goro' expansion bringing 135 new cards in April
The next Hearthstoneexpansion is venturing into the dinosaur-filled jungles of Un'Goro Crater with J
...[详细]Watch MTV's Video Music Awards 2016 livestream
Days after a blistering heatwave, it's now snowing Down Under
