AirTag stalking: Apple and Google collaborate to halt tracker misuse

Trackers like Apple's AirTags are a huge help in finding lost or stolen items, but it has also emerged that they are ideal for stalking. — Photo: Till Simon Nagel/dpa

SAN FRANCISCO: Bluetooth trackers, the coin-sized tags that have emerged as the ideal tool for finding lost items (as well as stalking people), are set to get a new standard developed by Google and Apple in order to prevent unwanted tracking.

The two IT giants, whose smartphone operating systems have made tracking tags possible, have collaborated on a new industry standard for the Android and iOS mobile platforms, the two companies announced at the start of May.