Think about it Over the past few years, Bluetooth trackers and security and your first thoughts might be to abuse Apple Airtag and similar devices targeting women in domestic abuse and tracking cases.
In addition to collaborative initiatives that combat and shut down these malicious uses (such as the IETF discovery of unwanted location trackers, or Dult, Standard discovery), tracker manufacturers themselves are flipping scripts to use technology to monitor women against their will in order to protect their technology.
In mid-July, Seattle-based Pebblebee announced a new free SOS security feature called Alert, whose $35 clipart Bluetooth tracker, like Apple or Google Find’s Find Hub network, can be built with Apple Find My or Google’s Find Hub Networks, running from about 30% recyclable plastic and renewable batteries, running on more than 12 batteries and running on more than 12 batteries.
When multiple pressures (more than six presses), the clip triggers an alarm, a flashing LED light and automatically sends SMS text notifications to a “safety circle” contact you pre-save in the PebbleBee app.
Provided by Peebblebee
Setting up contacts in the app is easy, and the sirens and LEDs are turned off for a long time on the device, although you are unlikely to fail or accidentally set it to. The edited sirens are not that loud, and the light covers less radius than a dedicated personal alarm can cover, but they are enough to remind passersby when you go out and walk at night. Additionally, the Pebblebee website notes: “The alarm function including the link between the alarm, strobe and the first safety ring is and will always be completely free.”
We tested the SOS system and worked without ic. Our security circle friends received a text message: “Urgent: Sophie activates PebbleBee alert. Please check immediately to the link pointing to the correct location via Google Maps. Click the “Mark as Safe” button in the app and/or long pressure on the clip to send subsequent text to say “Sophie canceled their PebbleBee alert” and use the last location link.
But now, PebbleBee has added a paid subscription option called Alert Live, which provides security circles for up to five contacts to receive SOS text notifications when triggered by clips, as well as real-time location tracking for those contacts, $3 per month or $26 per year. There is also a new silent mode that can send alerts to free and paid users without sirens and LEDs: useful, although we haven’t had a chance to test this or new live location sharing yet.
