Tile Anti-Theft Mode
What is Anti-Theft Mode?
Anti-Theft Mode is a feature designed to protect high-value items like bikes and purses from theft by increasing the chances of regaining stolen property. Tile Bluetooth trackers operating in Anti-Theft Mode will now be hidden from Bluetooth device scans made by others using Scan and Secure. Tile users can activate Anti-Theft Mode on any of their current Tile trackers, including Tile-enabled partner products.
Why are we doing this?
We noticed this gap in the Bluetooth finding category’s ability to address theft—which we know is one of the many reasons people use our products. With increasing theft and robbery rates and economic uncertainty on the horizon, we knew the time was right to introduce Anti-Theft Mode.
As they are currently configured, Bluetooth trackers, including Tile and AirTags, can unwittingly notify criminals of the presence of a Bluetooth tracker on or in stolen items, enabling them to find the trackers and discard them to evade prosecution. Other Bluetooth trackers on the market even proactively notify nearby smartphone users when an unknown Bluetooth tracker is traveling with them and offer precision finding to locate it.
In addition to not issuing these proactive notifications, our Anti-Theft solution empowers users with the choice to make their devices invisible to Scan and Secure so that criminals will not be able to misuse this feature to locate and disable Tile devices after stealing valuables.
Why does it matter to members?
We developed Anti-Theft Mode to give members peace of mind and assurance that Tile is doing everything possible to keep valuables safe.
We also know that families don’t have time to misplace their items and certainly don’t have the time or money to replace belongings when they get stolen. We’re giving users a solution that offers them the choice to live more relaxed lives by increasing the likelihood of recovering stolen items.
Additionally, we are aware of how Bluetooth trackers are being misused in terms of stalking. That’s why we have implemented strict safety measures to ensure the Anti-Theft Mode is used only as it’s intended—to make stealing things harder. Our progressive safety measures include:
Requiring a multi-factor ID verification process when activating Anti-Theft Mode to deter the feature from being used for nefarious purposes, such as stalking.
An acknowledgment from Anti-Theft Mode users that personal information can and will be shared with law enforcement at our discretion, even without a subpoena, to aid in the investigation and prosecution of suspected stalking.
A $1 million fine for any individual convicted in a court of law for using Tile devices to illegally track any individual without their knowledge or consent.
Our number one priority is keeping our members and their valuables safe. That’s why we’re offering our members the option to protect their valuables with Anti-Theft Mode while also implementing all of the safeguards we can at the product level, ensuring our products are being used as they were intended.
The future.
We’re excited and optimistic about our solution to help members protect their valuables from theft and prevent the use of our products for stalking. However, we know that these safeguards are not enough to put an end to the stalking problem altogether.
Not only do the existing anti-stalking solutions in the industry eliminate anti-theft functionality, they also put the responsibility of preventing stalking entirely on the victim.
To fix the stalking problem at scale while also keeping Bluetooth trackers effective for the use cases that matter most to users, we must make industry-wide changes, like:
Requiring all location-enabled devices that are small enough to be planted on a person to be registered using a real name to remove the ability for these devices to be used anonymously, giving law enforcement the information they need to pursue justice for victims.
Banning all devices that are specifically marketed for the secret tracking of people.
Making stalking a first-time felony offense (currently, fewer than one-third of states classify stalking as a felony in all circumstances).
We know that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem. However, we hope that Anti-Theft Mode is a catalyst for the industry to make changes that deter theft and stalking and improve the overall safety of consumers.