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Tile Tracker

Tile, Inc. · Location / People Tracker

Staff Reviewed — a person at DeSpy reviewed this rating.

5.0Surveillance
Index
Policy — what its policy permitsD
Evidence — what research provesD

Tile is a Bluetooth tracker whose location reports researchers found are transmitted in cleartext with a static MAC address, meaning Life360 (which owns Tile) and potentially nearby snoops can track a tag despite the company's claim that only the owner can see its location. Its 'Anti-Theft Mode' hides tags from the same Scan and Secure feature stalking victims use to find planted trackers, and its terms let Tile hand personal data to law enforcement at its own discretion without a subpoena.

Why this rating

The written explanation of this rating is withheld while a person re-reviews it.

What it is

Manufacturer
Tile, Inc.
Category
Location / People Tracker
Model years
2013-present
Market status
Current
Companion app
Tile

The evidence 3

Independent research, regulatory action, lawsuits and journalism about how this device handles personal data — the "what actually happens" axis. Each links to its source.

  1. S4Tile's Lack of Encryption Is a Danger for Users Everywhere
    Ngo review · Electronic Frontier Foundation · 2025-10

    EFF details that Tile sends location in cleartext with a non-randomized MAC, letting Life360 and others track tags, and that anti-theft mode disarms victims' ability to detect stalking.

    Why it matters here: Independent analysis of this device's core security and stalking-safety failures.

  2. S4Security and Privacy Analysis of Tile's Location Tracking Protocol
    Measurement study · arXiv · 2025-10

    Technical study documenting unencrypted transmission and a static MAC address that allow nearby parties and the vendor to track Tile devices.

    Why it matters here: Peer-style measurement confirming the tracking weaknesses in this exact product.

  3. S3Tile trackers plagued by weak security, researchers warn
    Journalism · Malwarebytes · 2025-09

    Reporting on researcher findings that Tile's weak security turns its trackers into potential stalking tools.

    Why it matters here: Independent journalism corroborating the security-negligence findings.

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Descriptive, cited, not legal advice; ratings are versioned and corrections create a new version. Data from the IoT Info Grabber DB research project, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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