Tile Ads Undetectable Anti-Theft Mode To Tracking Devices, With $1 Million Fine If Used For Stalking (macrumors.com) 57
AirTag competitor Tile today announced a new Anti-Theft Mode for Tile tracking devices, which is designed to make Tile accessories undetectable by the anti-stalking Scan and Secure feature. MacRumors reports: Scan and Secure is a security measure that Tile implemented in order to allow iPhone and Android users to scan for and detect nearby Tile devices to keep them from being used for stalking purposes. Unfortunately, Scan and Secure undermines the anti-theft capabilities of the Tile because a stolen device's Tile can be located and removed, something also possible with similar security features added for AirTags. Tile's Anti-Theft Mode disables Scan and Secure so a Tile tracking device will not be able to be located by a person who does not own the tracker. To prevent stalking with Anti-Theft Mode, Tile says that customers must register using multi-factor identification and agree to stringent usage terms, which include a $1 million fine if the device ends up being used to track a person without their consent.
The Anti-Theft Mode option is meant to make it easier to locate stolen items by preventing thieves from knowing an item is being tracked. Tile points out that in addition to Anti-Theft Mode, its trackers do not notify nearby smartphone users when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them, making them more useful for tracking stolen items than AirTags. Apple has added alerts for nearby AirTags to prevent AirTags from being used for tracking people. Enabling Anti-Theft mode will require users to link a government-issued ID card to their Tile account, submitting to an "advanced ID verification process" that uses a biometric scan to detect fake IDs. [...] Anti-Theft Mode is rolling out to Tile users starting today, and will be available to all users in the coming weeks.
The Anti-Theft Mode option is meant to make it easier to locate stolen items by preventing thieves from knowing an item is being tracked. Tile points out that in addition to Anti-Theft Mode, its trackers do not notify nearby smartphone users when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them, making them more useful for tracking stolen items than AirTags. Apple has added alerts for nearby AirTags to prevent AirTags from being used for tracking people. Enabling Anti-Theft mode will require users to link a government-issued ID card to their Tile account, submitting to an "advanced ID verification process" that uses a biometric scan to detect fake IDs. [...] Anti-Theft Mode is rolling out to Tile users starting today, and will be available to all users in the coming weeks.
Because (Score:3)
People breaking the law are worried about breaking the law.
Re:Because (Score:4, Insightful)
Plus Tile can't "fine" someone... at best they can make a contract stipulation which may or may be enforceable.
Re:Because (Score:5, Insightful)
Indeed. And even if it is enforceable, that can only be done in a civil action, in court. And even if they win, the people who are using these things to stalk their ex aren't going to have a million dollars, or a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, anyway.
It's all marketing hype, of the sort that clearly says "Don't take us seriously. Just buy our stuff and shut up."
Re: Because (Score:3)
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They also can't stop third party apps from scanning for their devices. They have to be broadcasting in order to work.
The problem at the moment is that most phones don't have an way to detect these things in the background and warn the user. Even iPhones only scan for AirTags, not Tile ones. It's going to require a change at the OS level because no app will be able to manage background scanning in a power efficient way.
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Why are you carrying that 30 pounds spectrum analyzer on your shoulder all the time? (Yes, I know things like tinySA exist.)
There are Bluetooth scanner apps for Android. I could be wrong, but I think at least one of them can list any Bluetooth device that's transmitting within range of the phone, even if it can't pair with it.
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It's like the Sneeches! (Score:5, Insightful)
First they sell you the tag. Then they sell you untraceable tags. Then they sell you penetrating the untraceability. Then they sell you super-extra untraceability.
What a racket.
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First they sell you the tag. Then they sell you untraceable tags. Then they sell you penetrating the untraceability. Then they sell you super-extra untraceability.
I think we can go deeper. The next obvious step would be to sell a method to override the super-extra untraceable functionality, and so on. It's profit all the way down!
Adds (Score:5, Insightful)
How about running a basic spell checker on the article first?
Re:Adds (Score:5, Funny)
Thanks. I was trying to figure out what use an undetectable advertisement was.
Bloody editors are always leaving words out of headlines, so we are used to the grammar being a challenge to decipher.
some examples:
1. British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
2. Dr. Ruth to Talk about Sex with Newspaper Editors
https://www.departments.buckne... [bucknell.edu]
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Thanks. I was trying to figure out what use an undetectable advertisement was.
Bloody editors are always leaving words out of headlines, so we are used to the grammar being a challenge to decipher. some examples: 1. British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands 2. Dr. Ruth to Talk about Sex with Newspaper Editors
https://www.departments.buckne... [bucknell.edu]
Was that a regular waffle or a Belgian waffle? /s
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Adds (Score:4, Insightful)
It needs a human proud enough of their job to check what they write.
Re: Adds (Score:1)
Spell checker wouldn't flag "ads" being used instead of "adds".
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It would. Modern spell checkers are more than capable of catching these kind of obvious grammar mistakes. Unless you're talking about naive word-only spellcheckers from the 90s.
Re: Adds (Score:1)
If they're checking grammar, they're grammar checkers.
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It's all the same these days. Like Harry and Voldemort in his head. One can't live without the other.
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It was a freudian slip, since the article was an ad for Tile
Not a fine (I think) (Score:4, Informative)
It's not a fine. A fine is part of a sentencing, and goes to government. Apparently it's only applied to users convicted of stalking. It could be a document where customer agrees that being convicted of stalking using Tile services damages Tile's reputation and reduces their potential business, in an amount estimated to up to 1 million dollar. This makes it easier for Tile to later sue for damages. It's not that the paper has any legal value by itself and transforms itself into a fine or debt, but it's an argument they can trivially use in court: the customer could not ignore the damage that they behaviour caused to Tile, as they even signed this piece of paper acknowledging it. It does not mean they are going to try collect the money, it's a threat of screwing someone's life over by destroying their credit rating (large unpayable debt).
It's also not enforceable (Score:3)
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last I heard private corporations can't levy fines.
Termination fees in cellular contracts used to be a common thing. If left unpaid, the carriers usually wouldn't sue to collect the debt, they typically would just sell it to a third party debt collector who would then report it to the credit bureaus, which dinged your credit.
It's entirely possible that should it be litigated, a judge would find the million dollar amount to be unreasonable due to not being an amount based on actual losses or damages incurred. It's the same reason you'd be very unlikely to
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Thanks for the analysis, lawyer. However, a customer "agreeing" that damages are of a certain monetary value is not anything any serious court would take into consideration when calculating damages in a civil trial.
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I know. That's what I wrote. It does not transform into money, it just clears it that they could claimed they ignored causing damage, as they signed a piece of paper. I'm not a lawyer, I have heard a similar analysis from my actual lawyer.
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Perhaps. But are you going to risk the courts coming to the conclusion that $1M is reasonable because Tile's reputation and market is substantially damaged by customers not following through on their commitment to not use the device for tracking purposes?
Anyway, this contract case would not likely be about “damages”. The case would likely just be about completing your side of the contract. You agreed that if you used the Tile in a certain way you would pay $1M. If the court determines you used t
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But are you going to risk the courts coming to the conclusion that $1M is reasonable because Tile's reputation and market is substantially damaged by customers not following through on their commitment to not use the device for tracking purposes?
I'd just argue in court that they damaged their own reputation by implementing a stalking-mode and only superficially protecting it with legalese. They determined the anti-theft functionality was more valuable to them than the stalking risk and any reputational damage from that active change to their device is on them, there's no expectation a TOS is going to stop a criminal, therefore the TOS is invalid and the criminal doesn't owe money for the reputational damage that the company did to themselves by ch
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Thank you for the expert analysis though, lawyer.
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If it only applies to someone convicted of criminal stalking, they really aren't going to give a damn about a civil judgement that's 100% uncollectible anyway.
Re:Not a fine (I think) (Score:4, Insightful)
It's probably useful to Tile as PR. They can publicly claim to take measures against stalking, and say they're better than some fruity competitor. That "1 million" line is the modern equivalent of "you shall be accursed to the thirteenth generation".
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Tile will probably get sued by one of the victims. The standard of proof in civil court is lower than for criminal court, so they could be in a situation where there is no conviction but they still lose.
Even if there was a conviction, what are the chances of recovering $1 million? That person is probably a family member of the victim, so forcing sale of their house will just make the victim homeless. The award in any lawsuit will probably be a lot more than $1 million.
My head just exploded in a cloud of logic (Score:4, Interesting)
If you're using a tag to track your stolen item, aren't you therefore tracking the thief without his consent? Or does Tile's EULA specifically have an exception for this situation where you're off the hook for the $1mil fine when you're using it to track a bad guy, and does it say how bad the bad guy has to be?
Re:My head just exploded in a cloud of logic (Score:4, Informative)
Probable legal argument is you are tracking your stolen property to expedite recovery.
In a court of law the tracker would not be sufficient evidence ("beyond reasonable doubt") that any person that is found when the stolen property is recovered is the original perpetrator that committed the original theft (could of been traded several times to an unsuspecting third party). At which point some traditional investigation work will be required to track back to the original perpetrator (if it is worth the effort), however that would require additional evidence from other sources.
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Per time should be paid by company. (Score:3)
Each time the device is used for stalking the company should pay the person stalked, and any company that helped detect the stalking, one million dollars per offense. Then MAYBE I'll consider making this OK to do...
Re: Per time should be paid by company. (Score:1)
Re: Per time should be paid by company. (Score:4, Interesting)
There already exist hardware stalkers could use. The concern with things like the Tiles and Airtags is that these solutions Utilize a large network from their installed base of people running the app. which is very unique and makes the cost massively lower.
Basically everyone with an iPhone or tile app. is working together to report on your location, which offloads the hardware requirements to a huge network of smartphone users. Without the assist from the tile app or from the iPhone system software (in the case of Airtags), then stalkers' costs. for operating a tracking device would be massively higher for a. similarly-versatile tracking device.. You would need a much higher capacity power source for it to run an extended period, and. your tracking device would need a GPS. and a SIM card with a data plan or some type of radio to reliably report in. These components would increase the size of the things too, making them easier to detect
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stalkers' costs. for operating a tracking device would be massively higher for a. similarly-versatile tracking device.. You would need a much higher capacity power source for it to run an extended period,
But not much more. A slightly larger device, a somewhat shorter battery life (60 days) [bestbuy.com]. Roughly the same price. You can buy it at BestBuy.
Re: (Score:3)
But that also requires a $15/month data plan. When you say "slightly larger" it's several times the size of a tile tracker and "somewhat shorter batter life" it's also 2 months vs 3 years which is pretty significant.
It's not really something comparable to something that you could hide in a purse or a bike.
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But not much more. A slightly larger device, a somewhat shorter battery life
It's an order of magnitude difference. Basically.. the Tile can be hidden in MANY more places, even sewn into clothes and remain highly difficult to detect.
The one you found is 4.57 x 4.49 x 1.02 Inches and 5.3 ounces (That's a third of a pound in weight!).
That would be a lot harder to conceal on a person or in their luggage, And even if tucked away somewhere, such as under a floormat.. it would be a lot easier for someone l
Language (Score:4, Insightful)
Tile's Anti-Theft Mode disables Scan and Secure so a Tile tracking device will not be able to be located by a person who does not own the tracker. To prevent stalking with Anti-Theft Mode, Tile says that customers must register using multi-factor identification and agree to stringent usage terms, which include a $1 million fine if the device ends up being used to track a person without their consent.
So the thief has to give consent or you’re out a million dollars in a lawsuit. Makes zero sense. How about instead of unenforceable BS in the TOS they just agree to comply with any laws. You can drive a car on the road and follow the rules or it can be used to run people down and commit crimes. You don’t sign a 1m usd TOS to buy a car, the courts simply take yours away and lock you up for bad behavior.
So all I have to do is steal someone's tile tag... (Score:5, Insightful)
And then accuse them of stalking me? Sounds like a really easy way for abusers who have already successfully weaponized the system against their victims to get a corporation to do their dirty work for them too.
Remember when paypal tried to set up their EULA to demand that they be allowed to fine anyone who said anything they disagree with online and it blew up in their face? This is the "think of the women and children" moment that's going to let corporations turn the heat up on the frog without it jumping out.
Tile Offers New Useless Mode (Score:4, Interesting)
These are Bluetooth devices. Typically this means short range! While there have been demonstrations of well over a kilometer using giant parabolic dishes over featureless desert terrain, this is not representative of typical use. Tile specs their ranges as up to 250 ft except for the large pro version which is up to 400 ft.
These ranges are sufficient for finding keys or whatever in your house where anti-theft detection is not needed.
The magic of Tile and Apple AirTags that allows your suitcases and stuff to be located in the airport, across town, or halfway around the world is the network. This works by other phones, i.e. not yours, detecting the Tile and uploading the phone's location and Tile ID to a central database.
If the Tile is placed in Bluetooth non-discovery mode, which is nothing special as it's standard bluetooth protocol, then other phones will not be able to report its location to the network database. In short, secure mode will only be useful for short range, which is exactly where you don't need it.
If Tile is using some kind of proprietary protocol in their App instead of normal Bluetooth, that security by obscurity will be broken in a hot second.
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Amazon Sidewalk changes that.
https://tileteam.zendesk.com/h... [zendesk.com]
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It's the whole purpose of these devices to be discovered. If you want one that can't be discovered, I'll sell you a pebble for a pound. Four pound for a pack of five.
Tile Reliability (Score:1)
Has anyone actually gotten a Tile product to work properly.
We had a few but stopped using them because they wouldn't respond, or battery covers fell off, or they wouldn't show up a location.
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Doesn't Tile need lots of people having the app installed on their phone? Or do they now rely on Apple's AirTags technology? If the former, I can assume it's basically worthless in large swaths of the world (Europe, for example).
Uuuh (Score:2)
In what world are they living? (Score:2)
Most people committing crimes do so under the assumption that they aren't caught. And from those who do take that into account, a large part don't care.
How do you take 1 million from somebody who has 200 USD in their name?
Most stalkers are low-lifers. If they had a million, they'd hide their doings behind a legal shell-company.
The headline (Score:2)
"AirTag competitor"
People have very short memories.
Tile was around when AirTag was not even a concept. I had their various tags over years, so much so, that I had already gone through several generation of their devices.
But for some reason Apple seems to be able to give the impression that they invented bluetooth tracking tags. Just like they invented the tablets, phones, or online music stores. (Though I must admit iPod/iTunes were really innovative back in the day).