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Should I Use Tiles?

Is the convenience of the Bluetooth tracking devices worth the loss of privacy?
My Father’s Day present. Should I return it before opening?

My wife is tired of me complaining that I can’t find my wallet, my car keys, and my phone around the house. So she ordered me a couple of Tile bluetooth trackers — one for my wallet, and one for my key ring. If I use them, as long as I know where my phone is, I can find either my wallet or my keys. And as long as I know where either my wallet or my keys are, I can find my phone.

They arrived today. I was excited!

Then my tech-oriented teenage son said, “Are you kidding me? I can’t let you use those.”

He’s very concerned about privacy and data.

I can’t bring myself to care that much about whether or not the Tile Corporation knows where my wallet and keys are (and, by extension, obviously, where I am). If I ever thought I would be going somewhere that I didn’t want others to know about, I’d remove the Tiles from my wallet and keys, and leave them at home. The risk seems minor for the convenience.

Am I wrong? Help me out here. I haven’t opened the boxes yet, so I could still return them.

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