Oh, right. Apple too. *spits*

[Mongrel]

Today I learned that Apple made a neat little doohickey this year called "Airtags" which are in no way completely or utterly terrifying and do not at all raise another spectre of cyberpunk dystopia at all. One early reviewer noted that it was trivial to track their roommate's movements perfectly for an entire weekend (experiment done with consent) or perhaps indefinitely (the battery lasts A YEAR).

In a COMPLETE SURPRISE, of course people are trying to use them maliciously, as a popular cosplayer discovered this weekend. This is (I think?) the first well-publicized case, but expect more of this shit.



As many of the comments point out

- You have literally no visibility on these unless you own and are carrying AND keeping an eye on alerts from an iphone or other idevice, or install the relevant Apple app on your Android-based phone.
- Unlike most similar tags, these work IN REAL TIME. Like, bad movie "tracking device" shit, only real.
- Most crucially, while these things are not new, other companies which have pushed these are small-time, not Apple. Not only can Apple use its heft to push AND normalize this shit, which is already horrifying, the only reason Airtags works so well compared to any competing product is because there's already a huge web of Apple devices in the world.
- If you're vulnerable or have good reasons to be afraid of such a device, imagine the sheer exhaustion and anxiety caused by constantly worrying about these.

[Thad]

SEC rejects Apple’s bid to block three shareholder proposals

The Securities and Exchange Commission has rejected Apple’s petition to block three shareholder proposals from going to a vote at its next annual meeting—a win for activists that signals trouble for other US companies hoping the regulator will allow them to fend off unwanted attention.

The resolutions call for detailed reports regarding allegations of forced labor in Apple’s supply chain, explanations of why certain apps are deleted from the App Store in China, and a public report of what risks the iPhone maker could face by allegedly using nondisclosure agreements in the context of workplace harassment and discrimination.