Comment on Bluetooth tracker hidden in a postcard and mailed to a warship exposed its location — $5 gadget put a $585 million Dutch ship at risk for 24 hours

errer@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

• logi@piefed.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Both Apple and Google run these tracking networks where a nearby phone can relay the tags location back to the network,l.

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  • InFerNo@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    So this vessel has some local wifi with internet access private phones can connect to?

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    • artyom@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Presumably they have internet on these ships, yes.

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  • LordMayor@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    But, why would they track some random $10 Amazon tag?

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    • logi@piefed.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Because randos on amazon can be compatible with those networks. I’ve got a bunch of Pebblebee tags that are compatible with both.

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• Tikiporch@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Airtag or adjacent thing, I guess?

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• LordMayor@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Yeah, there’s a big piece of this puzzle missing.

  If it was an Apple or Google tag it would make sense. They have systems for tracking those but I imagine they must have some kind of limits.

  Anyway, this a $10 random tag from Amazon. Why would any phone report its location? I imagine it has to either be: officially recognized by Apple or Google; spoofing Apple or Google ids; or being picked up by some third-party app.

  No article I’ve see has explained how it was tracked.

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