Apple and Google submit proposal to combat misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices

Specification will allow devices to be compatible with unauthorised tracking detection and alerts across iOS and Android platforms

Apple's AirTag helps users find their important items. Reuters

Tech industry majors Apple and Google have jointly submitted a proposed industry specification to help counter the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unwanted tracing.

The “first-of-its-kind” specification will allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to be compatible with unauthorised tracking detection and alerts across iOS and Android platforms, they said in a statement on Tuesday.

Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security and Pebblebee are supporting the draft specification, which offers instructions for manufacturers should they choose to build these capabilities into their products.

“Bluetooth trackers have created tremendous user benefits, but they also bring the potential of unwanted tracking, which requires industry-wide action to solve,” said Dave Burke, Google’s vice president of Engineering for Android.

“Android … will continue to develop strong safeguards and collaborate with the industry to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth tracking devices.”

While location-tracking devices help users find personal items such as their keys, purse, luggage and more through crowdsourced finding networks, they can also be misused for the unwanted tracking of people.

“Location tracking is becoming an important privacy concern, as it is increasingly used in many software applications that dominate our daily personal and business lives,” EY said in an earlier report.

Some regulations are in place to address the issue of location tracking. Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, location data is considered personal information, requiring users to specifically accept location tracking by apps.

“Apple launched AirTag to give users the peace of mind knowing where to find their most important items,” said Ron Huang, Apple’s vice president of sensing and connectivity.

“We built AirTag and the Find My network with a set of proactive features to discourage unwanted tracking … and we continue to make improvements to help ensure the technology is being used as intended.”

The proposed specification has been submitted as an internet-draft via the Internet Engineering Task Force, a standards development organisation, the statement said.

Interested parties are urged to review and comment over the next three months.

Following that, Apple and Google will join forces to address feedback and release a production implementation of the specification for unwanted tracking alerts by the end of 2023 that will then be supported in future versions of iOS and Android, they said.