Oh, I totally use them for the same thing. It's more that whenever this comes up, some people inevitably go off on tangents about how that's not what AirTags are used for, and we're crazy for using them for this (incredibly obvious) application.

Just plausible deniability to keep Apple safe from litigation if someone decides to go all vigilante.

They were for that before the “weren’t”.

“The first mass-produced cotton swab was developed in 1923 by Polish-American Jew Leo Gerstenzang after he watched his wife attach wads of cotton to toothpicks to clean their infant's ears.”

I guess in those days nationality/ ethnicity/ religion was an important factor.

Snark: fascism grew in the 1920's, similar in the 2020's.

When I was a kid, my doctor told me never to stick anything in my ear that was smaller than my elbow.

What are they used for?

they're supposed to be for makeup and other things you need to apply without getting any on yourself