Mechanism◆Article · 0:20 — 0:45
404 Media tracked a large bulk order of approximately 1,000 books from a bookseller to an Amazon facility using an Apple AirTag.
The investigation involved a specific bookseller who placed an Apple AirTag in a bulk order of around 1,000 books to trace its final destination. ✦ AI generated
host · Simon Willison's Weblog · 2026-08-17 · original ↗
In July, one bookseller told me they received a very large order of around 1,000 books on Biblio, one of these marketplaces. The seller agreed to put an Apple AirTag provided by 404 Media in one of the books included in this order so we could see where the book was going.
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- ·Bookseller received ~1,000-book order on Biblio
- ·404 Media provided an Apple AirTag
- ·AirTag placed inside one book in bulk order
- ·Goal: trace where the books ultimately went
- ·Single bookseller cooperative with 404 Media
- ·Order placed in July on book marketplace
- ·AirTag hidden within shipment to track route
- ·Destination facility was the target unknown
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extends → The tracked shipment was delivered to the LAS8 Amazon facility in Las Vegas, specifically at the VGT3 corner.host · Simon Willison's Weblogprovides context → Amazon workers have confirmed via online forums that the VGT3 section of the facility is used for the destructive scanning of large volumes of books.host · Simon Willison's Weblog