Elevation Lab pulls AirTag Silencer after stalking backlash

Elevation Lab Pulls AirTag Silencer Product After Industry Backlash

Apple’s AirTag features a built-in speaker that emits a sound when separated from its owner, a mechanism designed to function as an anti-stalking safeguard. Accessories manufacturer Elevation Lab recently attempted to market an “AirTag Silencer” device that enabled users to disable that speaker, but quickly reversed course following widespread security concerns and industry pushback, Mashable reported.

The accessory sparked swift criticism across the technology sector after its launch earlier this month. Tech journalist Glenn Fleishman published a blog post describing the silencing product as “appalling,” while mainstream tech publication MacRumors refused to cover the product’s release entirely, according to Mashable.

Apology and Product Withdrawal by Elevation Lab

Elevation Lab removed the product from sale and published an apology on its website alongside emails sent directly to customers, Mashable reported. The company stated that the silencing hardware was originally intended for tracking items like bicycles rather than facilitating illicit surveillance.

“We have always made products we want for ourselves, and this was no different – we wanted it for AirTags on our bikes,” Elevation Lab stated in its public post. “In retrospect though, this also has the side effect of aiding someone with bad intentions to track someone that wouldn’t get phone notifications.”

Anti-Stalking Protections and Cross-Platform Alerts

The controversy highlights ongoing security challenges surrounding item-tracking technology. Apple engineered the AirTag speaker to sound an audible alert when an unknown tracker moves alongside an individual for an extended period, mitigating the risk of non-consensual tracking.

Over recent years, Apple expanded these safeguards by collaborating with Google to deploy cross-platform alerts. These measures ensure that users running Android operating systems also receive immediate notifications on their mobile devices if an unfamiliar AirTag travels with them, as detailed by Mashable.