BLUF

The Apple AirTag allows the tracking of goods and personal items, but like most technology, there are benefits and costs.

Summary

The author argues that the speed and all-pervasiveness of technology results in:
  • An exponentially heightened collective paranoia.
  • Feeling we can trust no one and fear everyone, reducing social cohesion.
  • The ability to stay in touch with each other and work together in ways that were never previously possible.
  • Allowing employers to monitor remote working employees.
Apple's Air-Tags are both beneficial and detrimental.
Positives
  • Used to track the movement of goods and surveillance.
  • Able to improve child safety through monitoring their location (although Apple recommends a family set up Apple watch).
Negatives
  • The perfect tool for stalking.
  • Used by thieves to track cars etc. and steal them.
Worth noting and remembering the following:
  • For iPhone users: A concealed active AirTag triggers a warning that shows up on the screen when the tracking takes place.
  • For Android users:  A dedicated app published by Apple on the Google Play Store needs installation and a manual scan for a nearby AirTag undertaken when individuals believe they might be tracked.
Learn more about the AirTag and how one assisted a military family.

References

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References from the Web:
Source Information: ZDNet
Image Used: File:Apple AirTags einrichten.jpg  - Wikimedia Commons