Apple is in the midst of a controversy. Authorities across the US are calling Apple’s new NameDrop feature a red flag, one that the general public should sprint away from. Apple introduced this feature that allowed iPhone and Apple Watch users to share contacts with nearby devices. But police departments all over the country were sceptical about this upgrade and had rung alarm bells all around, alerting people to the security risks that may be associated with this.
Law enforcement agencies are requesting adults to disable the contact-sharing feature on their iPhones and their children’s devices. A Tennessee sheriff’s office issued a warning on Facebook, cautioning users to ‘BEWARE’ about a feature that enables the sharing of contact information by merely bringing phones close together. Conversely, the police department in Bangor, Maine, adopted a different stance. In response to local inquiries about the update, they clarified on Facebook that NameDrop does not automatically share all user information with other iPhone users. They emphasised that the app does not download the entire contact list into every iPhone encountered, providing reassurance against potential misconceptions.
Furthermore, a TikTok video, viewed by over 2 million people, has gained widespread attention by illustrating how this feature could potentially enable strangers at places like the gym or on public transportation to access and misuse personal information. While it is always advisable to approach any form of tech with caution, some experts believe that this could be a false alarm.
NameDrop
NameDrop facilitates the effortless sharing of contact information between iPhones or Apple Watches that are situated within a standard bandwidth. All you have to do is hold the two phones close together and the device takes care of the rest on its own. This proximity-based process is also applicable to other AirDrop file-sharing interactions. Upon its release, it was initially made available in the US and Canada. The app equips the user with a feature that automatically transcribes voicemail messages in real-time. This functionality allows users to preview incoming calls and their content, aiding in the identification of potential spam calls.
For FaceTime users, there’s the option to leave video voicemails when the recipient is unavailable. Individuals can also make video calls on a TV using an Apple TV box along with an iPhone or iPad camera. The interactive experience is enhanced with animated reactions, triggered by hand gestures such as a thumbs-up, featuring elements like rising balloons. The company and the users both had high hopes for this feature.
Why are authorities up in arms about NameDrop?
While the police are aware that NameDrop requires the users’ consent and approval to actually initiate the process, their fear stems from the fact that children and people who are not tech-savvy or good at reading could be vulnerable. Once your information is out and about, there will always be one too many people waiting to prey on it. Crowetz, a cybersecurity expert at InfoStream, raised concerns about the potential misuse of NameDrop, highlighting the risk of strangers exploiting the feature to obtain contact information. He specifically mentioned the potential for malicious actors, including individuals with harmful intentions, to take advantage of emails and phone numbers shared through the feature, deeming it a “major red flag.”
However, it’s important to note that NameDrop functions only when two unlocked smartphones have their top ends placed together, and users have explicitly tapped “share” or “receive” to exchange contact details. Some analysts dismiss the alarm signs as a deliberate attempt at ruffling some feathers, with experts like Sophos’ Chester Wisniewski describing them as “hysteria” and “nonsense.”
Cybersecurity analyst Davey Winder labelled the danger of an unknown person getting their hands on contact information as a “very tenuous truth,” emphasising that such access still requires physical access to an unlocked phone. Winder added that if a stranger already has access to an unlocked phone, privacy concerns become a more significant issue.
Are authorities crying wolf?
New technology has a tainted history. It rarely plays fair. Therefore, there is some truth in the concerns that these parties are raising. It is injudicious to deny the caveats being raised. Apple has assured the masses that its priority is privacy and that it has been embedded in every molecule of Silicon Valley products. However, the reason why many claim that the problem has been blown out of proportion is due to the feature being designed in a way that contact sharing will be halted the minute that the two phones are drawn apart. Despite the fact that NameDrop is auto-enabled once you update to iOS 17, the bottom line is that unless or otherwise the user clicks on that ‘accept’ option, the request to have access to the phone does not pass through.
While this is the rule, we know well enough that there will be an exception. Therefore, if the user feels uncomfortable having NameDrop on auto-enable mode, they can always disable the feature. To disable the NameDrop feature, access your phone’s settings, navigate to general settings, select AirDrop, and toggle off the “bringing devices together” option. The decision to have NameDrop on by default or not is a personal call. However, it is highly unlikely that Apple, a company that banks on privacy and preaches about it day and night, would jeopardise the one feature that sets them apart from the Androids. Nevertheless, prevention is always better than cure.
(Sandunlekha Ekanayake)