Apple’s AirTags aren’t designed for locating stolen goods in the event of theft — even if users use them over and over again. At least that’s Apple’s official statement: the inexpensive and well-functioning Bluetooth and ultra-wideband trackers are devices for locating lost objects, nothing more and nothing less. If, on the other hand, AirTags are carried by other people – including thieves – they will receive more and more clear warnings, which should serve as protection against stalking.
Apple’s competitor Tile has now discovered a niche in the market and is equipping its own trackers with a corresponding function that Apple’s AirTags do not have. The so-called anti-theft mode, which the company announced via press releaseis specially designed to prevent theft and is also secured against stalking – albeit in a very special way.
Million fine against stalking
Life360, the company behind Tile, justifies the new feature with an increase in theft rate. According to this, the corona crisis led to 20 percent more crimes (including robbery) in the USA in the first half of 2022. Tile wants to do something to counteract this without there being an additional risk of stalking, which Apple always emphasizes in its measures.
Tile currently uses a so-called scan-and-secure mode in the app to find unwanted trackers. In the future, a tile that is in theft mode should no longer be able to be found in this way. Tile does not provide precise technical information on how to do this. However, customers must follow strict conditions. This includes creating multi-factor authentication and registering with Tile itself, including ID or driver’s license checks. In addition, a contract must be signed that provides for a penalty of one million US dollars if the function is abused for stalking and the perpetrator has been convicted by a court.
No notification of the environment
The Tile devices have another advantage in the event of theft: There is no automatic stalking warning of devices in the vicinity. For the scan, thieves would have to use the app’s Scan and Secure feature. There is also a lack of warning tones that AirTags play for this purpose. “The Bluetooth tracker industry’s proactive notifications were designed to prevent stalking, but these anti-stalking measures have been criticized as insufficient for victim protection,” writes Life360. Instead, there is a possibility that “the Bluetooth trackers can be easily identified by thieves”.
It is not yet clear when the new function will also be released outside of the USA – and whether ID checks would be permitted at all in this country for data protection reasons. Also, hardly every user is likely to sign a contract with a million fine. Finally, the Tile devices have another downside: they lack Apple’s massive Find My network, which makes AirTags so useful, since there are now plenty of nearby Apple devices showing the location almost anywhere in the world pass through.
(bsc)
