Not sure why the derision is necessary. That's been a constant topic of discussion ever since AirTags released because it's a real concern that has multiple examples and has informed the design of the exact feature that the posted article is about.
There’s tons of tracking devices on the market and Apple made choices to make the use of AirTags private and with a certain level of protection against stalker use. It’s known before you purchase them, if you don’t like it, don’t purchase them.