A CONTROVERSIAL tracking device made by Apple has been modified to make it even harder for people to know if they’re being stalked.
AirTags have caused major concern since launching last year, following a raft of creepy reports including car-owners being followed.
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The gadget is supposed to make life easier for finding stuff like keys and even lost items.
People’s iPhones work as a massive network for Apple to help you locate and retrieve them.
But it has also been deemed the perfect tool for stalking.
They are also very precise and have a good battery life, making them all the more worrying.
Apple released an app designed to alert users if an AirTag is being used near them but that may not be enough to prevent this latest threat.
Among the features is an internal speaker in the device which beeps to let people know if it’s near.
Online shoppers noticed that an unofficial modified version of the AirTag with the speaker ripped out was for sale.
The so-called “Silent AirTag” was found on eBay and Etsy.
According to a statement given to PC Mag, one seller said they never intended for it to be misused and has since pulled it from sale.
Apparently it was for those “interested in fitting an AirTag to their bikes, pets and power tools”.
Others can still be found on eBay today.
One listing claims the lack of speaker “reduces chance of a thief being notified of its hidden location”.
Eva Galperin, a cybersecurity expert at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said: “Any item that works for the purpose of catching a thief in this manner is also a perfect tool for stalking.”
“That is why Apple advertises them as tools for tracking lost items and not stolen ones.”
iPhone users should get an alert on their phone if an AirTag is near them for a certain amount of time.
But Android users will need to download Apple’s Tracker Detect app and manually scan for them.
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In other news, Apple has revealed a bunch of new emoji for iPhone, including a pregnant man and two saucy symbols.
Experts have warned that future space launches could be jeopardised if “stupid” regimes like Russia don’t stop blasting the skies creating debris.
And the most popular phone since the millennium has been unveiled, with many shocked to find out it’s not an iPhone.
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