Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Tile
Apple’s AirTag is slowly turning into a double-edged sword for the tech industry, as despite offering innovative features to help keep track of belongings, it has also become stalkers’ favorite weapon.
Rival Tile is taking a very aggressive stance against the misuse of its Bluetooth trackers, claiming it’s ready to issue a $1 million fine for any user convicted in a court for stalking using the company’s devices.
Tile also says that it’s willing to work with law enforcement in every single case, promising to share information on device owners whenever an investigation over stalking claims is launched.
Tile’s announcement comes as the company is introducing a new feature called Anti-Theft Mode. Just like Apple’s AirTag, Tile’s trackers can be detected with a dedicated application called Scan and Secure. This helps protect other individuals from being tracked with Tile’s devices planted in hard-to-spot places, such as in backpacks and purses or behind the license plates of cars.
The parent company believes that allowing anyone to freely scan for trackers makes its devices less effective. Tile trackers were built specifically to protect people’s belongings and to help recover stolen valuables. The scanning system defeats the purpose, as thieves can also turn to the dedicated app to make sure the stolen goods aren’t tracked.
Tile is launching a new feature, called Anti-Theft Mode, that makes the tracker detectable only by the owner. This means it won’t show up in Scan and Secure searches, so other individuals won’t be able to find out if a tracker is traveling with them or not.
To make sure no abuses would take place, Tile is going for a very aggressive approach, and the Anti-Theft Mode will only be available for customers who apply for an advanced ID verification that includes a biometric scan. A government-issued ID will be required, and Tile says that it might share personal information with law enforcement even without a subpoena.
In other words, using a Tile for anything else than the thing it was built for would turn you into a sitting duck for law enforcement, not to mention the hefty fine that the parent company says it would eventually issue.
In the meantime, Apple’s AirTag continues to be used for all kinds of nefarious purposes, with the police also telling individuals to dial 911 whenever they believe they are being tracked and are in danger. Apple has already implemented a series of extra protections to prevent stalking, but the biggest shortcoming continues to be the way the trackers can be detected by Android devices.
Owners of devices running Google’s mobile operating system need to download a dedicated app from the Google Play Store and manually trigger a scan, whereas iPhone users are notified automatically when an AirTag is moving with them.
Tile also says that it’s willing to work with law enforcement in every single case, promising to share information on device owners whenever an investigation over stalking claims is launched.
Tile’s announcement comes as the company is introducing a new feature called Anti-Theft Mode. Just like Apple’s AirTag, Tile’s trackers can be detected with a dedicated application called Scan and Secure. This helps protect other individuals from being tracked with Tile’s devices planted in hard-to-spot places, such as in backpacks and purses or behind the license plates of cars.
The parent company believes that allowing anyone to freely scan for trackers makes its devices less effective. Tile trackers were built specifically to protect people’s belongings and to help recover stolen valuables. The scanning system defeats the purpose, as thieves can also turn to the dedicated app to make sure the stolen goods aren’t tracked.
Tile is launching a new feature, called Anti-Theft Mode, that makes the tracker detectable only by the owner. This means it won’t show up in Scan and Secure searches, so other individuals won’t be able to find out if a tracker is traveling with them or not.
To make sure no abuses would take place, Tile is going for a very aggressive approach, and the Anti-Theft Mode will only be available for customers who apply for an advanced ID verification that includes a biometric scan. A government-issued ID will be required, and Tile says that it might share personal information with law enforcement even without a subpoena.
In other words, using a Tile for anything else than the thing it was built for would turn you into a sitting duck for law enforcement, not to mention the hefty fine that the parent company says it would eventually issue.
In the meantime, Apple’s AirTag continues to be used for all kinds of nefarious purposes, with the police also telling individuals to dial 911 whenever they believe they are being tracked and are in danger. Apple has already implemented a series of extra protections to prevent stalking, but the biggest shortcoming continues to be the way the trackers can be detected by Android devices.
Owners of devices running Google’s mobile operating system need to download a dedicated app from the Google Play Store and manually trigger a scan, whereas iPhone users are notified automatically when an AirTag is moving with them.
Google News