An AirTag won’t track anybody, if the battery is removed.
A new “Find My Device Network” was proposed earlier in 2023, and the joint standard draft was released at about the same time. The spec has advanced in recent days, and what appears to be a final draft was published on December 20.
Tracking devices generally rely on specific device ecosystems to work, such as iPhones and the Find My network for AirTag. However, notifications are also device-dependent, so iPhone users will see anti-stalking notifications if an extra AirTag is in their bag, but an Android device wouldn’t, unless it is actively being searched for with the relevant safety app.