Class-Action Lawsuits Allege Life360, Tile Products Enable Stalking

Class-action lawsuits allege that Life360 and its subsidiary Tile failed to prevent their tracking devices from being misused for stalking, with some marketing campaigns reportedly encouraging such abuse[24][26]. These lawsuits claim Life360 destroyed evidence and blocked police investigations into stalking allegations[25][26].

These legal actions highlight how location-sharing technologies, even those designed for safety, can be repurposed by abusive individuals to monitor and control others, impacting personal security and privacy for users[28][29][30][31][32].

What the records show

Victims of alleged stalking have filed class-action lawsuits against Life360, Tile, and their business partner Amazon[27]. The lawsuits cite negligence, defective design, unjust enrichment, intrusion, and multiple privacy law violations[27]. Plaintiffs state that Tile, a tracking product, was used to track individuals relentlessly[26]. One lawsuit claims Tile marketed its products in ways that encouraged stalking, including advertisements on pornographic websites where users made comments about tracking women[24][26]. The complaints allege both companies failed to install necessary safety features to prevent misuse[26]. Life360 also faces accusations of destroying evidence and actively blocking police investigations related to these stalking claims[25][26].

Experts have observed that monitoring apps, sometimes disguised as parental control software, allow abusers to track locations, messages, and other private data without consent[2][30]. The Coalition Against Stalkerware reported a sharp increase in detections of monitoring apps, with Malwarebytes observing a 780% rise and spyware detections increasing by 1677% between January and June 2020[1].

The timeline

The use of monitoring applications for non-consensual tracking saw a dramatic increase between January and June 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown[1]. Some class-action lawsuits against Tile, Life360, and Amazon were filed in August 2023[27], with other similar lawsuits emerging around the same time[26].

What changed and for whom

The filing of these class-action lawsuits represents a direct legal challenge against companies whose products are alleged to have facilitated stalking and harassment[24][25][26][27]. For victims, these lawsuits are an effort to hold companies accountable for perceived failures in product design and responsibility. For Life360 and Tile, the lawsuits mean facing judicial scrutiny over their product safety, marketing practices, and cooperation with law enforcement[25][26].

What the subject has said publicly

The provided evidence does not contain specific public statements from Life360 or Tile directly addressing the allegations made in these class-action lawsuits.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the specific outcomes or current status of the class-action lawsuits filed against Life360, Tile, and Amazon. We also could not confirm any public statements or defenses issued by Life360 or Tile in response to the detailed allegations of enabling stalking, inadequate safety features, or obstructing law enforcement.