LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A new lawsuit is going after a tech company for its tracking software.
The complaint said Tile is being used to track people instead of its intended use of tracking lost items.
We have looked into this issue before but with Apple Airtags. WH Law decided to take those allegations to court and said the company was negligent in the harm of the software.
Now, that same law firm is going after a similar device called Tile.
Shannon Ireland-Gordy and her wife Stephanie are listed in that lawsuit and said an ex-lover became a stalker.
"They would show up, and it was like we were four hours away. How does this person know where we are?" Ireland-Gordy said. "Our cars were damaged in the driveway... a gate was kicked in. No one else in the neighborhood was having these problems."
It wasn't until months later that they found a Tile tracking device in one of their cars.
"At first, she thought it was junk," Ireland-Gordy said. "She just thought it was something in the middle of the console at the bottom. Then it beeped when you'd push on it."
David Slade with WH Law said this is a problem with many tracking devices.
The technology is intended to protect items and personal belongings in case they get lost, but they are now being used to track people.
"We all just need to be aware that this is a new risk," Slade said. "A new reality for us in 2023."
We reached out to the company that creates Tile. They gave us this statement:
"Life360 remains committed to the safety and privacy of our users. Using a Tile to track someone's location without their knowledge is against our terms of service, and we do not condone the use of our technology in this manner.
Collaboration with law enforcement in cases of misuse is a priority, and we actively work to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. We have never received a law enforcement report of misuse of our Anti-Theft Mode, and we are confident our system of deterring bad actors is working as intended."
Slade said there are tracker-detecting apps that can help people find out if they have one near them. He recommended AirGuard and Tracker Detect.