If it makes you feel any better, I intentionally never use products that have intentionally repetitive messaging or earworm tendencies out of spite. Though I know I’m probably in the minority

Yeah you’re obviously beyond reason and we’re speaking across different levels of intellect here. Bringing up NOCs shows you’re entry level, despite how many years of experience you have. Find my phone is a network because the phone which has cellular capabilities reports that to Apple/Google.

It wasn’t my intention to start a dick measuring contest here but since it’s on the table, im a six figure(deep into six figures) engineer at a fortune 10 company. Your 25+ years of CompTIA A+ experience mean nothing to me. You’re talking to a CCIE.

No one with any amount of intellect would call something communicating at layer two a “network”, though anything that transfers data between two devices can technically be called a network, “networking” is being able to communicate with OTHER networks.

Brother, I’m a 10+ year network engineer… Bluetooth is a low power, low speed, short range(30 feet) technology. The power of Bluetooth signals are over 1000x weaker than what cellphones use to connect to cell towers. There isn’t going to be any sophisticated “networking” happening between airtags. Your original post was almost gibberish, I had to struggle to arrive at the point you’re trying to make. You can call it a network if you want but you’re asking if it could be practical as a standalone, autonomous network and the answer is no. They lack the capability to communicate over any meaningful distance. Not much “networking” capability if it can’t talk to other networks. Others have struggled to talk sense into you so I won’t waste anymore of my time. Though I’d suggest that if you’re going to argue against logic then you should be more open to reason.

I think you need to take the thought of “network” completely out of your mind. This protocol is specifically regarding devices such as air tags, which don’t have any network capability themselves but rely on “connecting” to Bluetooth of the manufacturers models. The phones themselves are what gives tracking information back, based on GPS of the phone that was in proximity of the tracker.

The question that Google/Apple have is, how can we make sure people aren’t unknowingly being tracked by someone putting a physical tracker in say, your car. THAT’S the “protocol” part. A protocol is just an agreement on how a technology is going to be implemented. If your own tracker is following you that’s fine, the MAC address will keep changing. If someone else’s air tag is following you, your phone will know this tracker has been near you for some time, and will tell you.

This, and it’s a way to make sure urban economies with investments stay stimulated… If the companies said “okay, just do your job, IDC” then a lot of people would move to rural areas. Also, corporate office leases are usually long, like 15 years. If the companies stop paying their leases, the entire flimsy financial system would crumble, since modern economics/property prices are more about potential/theoretical value rather than real value. You need a big fancy building in a fancy city to attract top talent, high earners, so it keeps the class system intact as well.