Tile is now offering its clients a new way to make its trackers more difficult for criminals to discover. Nevertheless, since doing so makes it simpler for stalkers to monitor people without their permission, the corporation demands authentication using a government ID and biometric information before activating the capability. If someone is discovered using them to stalk, Tile’s terms and conditions will fine them $1 million.
The growth in popularity of Bluetooth trackers after the release of Apple’s AirTag has highlighted the seeming zero-sum balance between theft and stalking avoidance. Stalking prevention techniques, such as generating a sound when the tracker is following someone who isn’t its owner, may help criminals identify they are being followed (and quickly dispose of the accessory). If such safeguards are removed in order to increase the effectiveness of theft deterrent, creeps will have an easier time tracking their ex-lovers or anybody else unfortunate enough to be their target.
