Safety Concerns

[HoudiniDerek]

It seems like there is always something to be wary about for the safety conscious, especially women.  So if you are out on the town, beware of some of the new ways that people might be out to ruin your safety:


Story

[Former Member]

Yikes😕

I use a purse and will keep an eye out.

Thanks for the link😉

[hippiejo]

Wow that's scary! 
Thanks for sharing that.

[Derek‽]

It's a rather moot concern. The maximum range of a Tile device is about 200 feet from the phone it's connected to, and the fob itself emits beeps when the user attempts to locate it. A person being tracked would know instantly whenever their location was being pinged.

The Tile app can track a fob's last known location and mark it on a map, but the user would have to be in range of the fob to first set the location. They would have to already be following a victim to track them, rendering Tile redundant.

It could be used as a sudden distraction, the same way tying an ornament to a door handle is used as a distraction to attack a woman, but it would be a poor choice for a would-be assailant since it could draw unwanted attention to the area.

It all makes for a scary story and might be great for a slasher movie, but in reality it's a highly impractical and ineffective method of stalking a person. Tile is not GPS-enabled and isn't capable of doing what many people likely are imagining. This isn't really a valid concern.

[HoudiniDerek]

Jun 9, 2021 17:01:17 GMT -8 Derek‽ said:

It's a rather moot concern. The maximum range of a Tile device is about 200 feet from the phone it's connected to, and the fob itself emits beeps when the user attempts to locate it. A person being tracked would know instantly whenever their location was being pinged.

The Tile app can track a fob's last known location and mark it on a map, but the user would have to be in range of the fob to first set the location. They would have to already be following a victim to track them, rendering Tile redundant.

It could be used as a sudden distraction, the same way tying an ornament to a door handle is used as a distraction to attack a woman, but it would be a poor choice for a would-be assailant since it could draw unwanted attention to the area.

It all makes for a scary story and might be great for a slasher movie, but in reality it's a highly impractical and ineffective method of stalking a person. Tile is not GPS-enabled and isn't capable of doing what many people likely are imagining. This isn't really a valid concern.

I agree overall and the article I believe even mentioned something like that, but I still think it's worth noting that there are other ways that women are being preyed upon.  Especially if they ever make more long-range Tile devices.  Or if they start to slip other GPS type trackers in purses, etc.

[wildmaven]

Pftftftftftftftfttf. She refused to notify the police. Sounds to me like she put it in her own bag to gain TikTok fame.

[Derek‽]

Jun 9, 2021 18:11:11 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

Jun 9, 2021 17:01:17 GMT -8 Derek‽ said:

It's a rather moot concern. The maximum range of a Tile device is about 200 feet from the phone it's connected to, and the fob itself emits beeps when the user attempts to locate it. A person being tracked would know instantly whenever their location was being pinged.

The Tile app can track a fob's last known location and mark it on a map, but the user would have to be in range of the fob to first set the location. They would have to already be following a victim to track them, rendering Tile redundant.

It could be used as a sudden distraction, the same way tying an ornament to a door handle is used as a distraction to attack a woman, but it would be a poor choice for a would-be assailant since it could draw unwanted attention to the area.

It all makes for a scary story and might be great for a slasher movie, but in reality it's a highly impractical and ineffective method of stalking a person. Tile is not GPS-enabled and isn't capable of doing what many people likely are imagining. This isn't really a valid concern.

I agree overall and the article I believe even mentioned something like that, but I still think it's worth noting that there are other ways that women are being preyed upon.  Especially if they ever make more long-range Tile devices.  Or if they start to slip other GPS type trackers in purses, etc.

That's just "ooh, technology is scary" fear-mongering disguised as a safety tip. Sure, women could be wary of a hypothetical Bluetooth device that may or may not exist in the future; sure, women could be wary of a hypothetical GPS device that could have existed at any time in the last 30+ years.

I'm not saying there are no practical concerns with people being tracked without their knowledge, because it's been proven to be true. But it's not a Bluetooth fob or anything like that. Women are already carrying around GPS-enabled devices that can record/broadcast everything they say and do, and all it takes is a bit of spyware on their phones to access that data. But that isn't new news and doesn't work to scare the general public anymore.

[User 180565 is taking donation]

Jun 10, 2021 4:56:40 GMT -8 Derek‽ said:

Jun 9, 2021 18:11:11 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

I agree overall and the article I believe even mentioned something like that, but I still think it's worth noting that there are other ways that women are being preyed upon.  Especially if they ever make more long-range Tile devices.  Or if they start to slip other GPS type trackers in purses, etc.

That's just "ooh, technology is scary" fear-mongering disguised as a safety tip. Sure, women could be wary of a hypothetical Bluetooth device that may or may not exist in the future; sure, women could be wary of a hypothetical GPS device that could have existed at any time in the last 30+ years.

I'm not saying there are no practical concerns with people being tracked without their knowledge, because it's been proven to be true. But it's not a Bluetooth fob or anything like that. Women are already carrying around GPS-enabled devices that can record/broadcast everything they say and do, and all it takes is a bit of spyware on their phones to access that data. But that isn't new news and doesn't work to scare the general public anymore.

I'd think any gender should fear situations like these man or woman.

Though if anyone were to track me they wouldn't be too happy to find out where I go.

[HoudiniDerek]

Jun 10, 2021 2:16:43 GMT -8 wildmaven said:

Pftftftftftftftfttf. She refused to notify the police. Sounds to me like she put it in her own bag to gain TikTok fame.

I agree that the story has a lot of elements that aren't ideal for a true PSA, but I do think it's important, especially for women sadly, to be aware of their surroundings and their own personal belongings.

[wildmaven]

Jun 11, 2021 17:33:56 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

Jun 10, 2021 2:16:43 GMT -8 wildmaven said:

Pftftftftftftftfttf. She refused to notify the police. Sounds to me like she put it in her own bag to gain TikTok fame.

I agree that the story has a lot of elements that aren't ideal for a true PSA, but I do think it's important, especially for women sadly, to be aware of their surroundings and their own personal belongings.

Agreed. I once worked where I had to park in a creepy parking garage. I would clomp heavily up the stairs on purpose and one day as I came out of the stairway, a woman said, “you scared me, I thought it was a guy coming up.” Exactly.