The tracking or geolocation of mobile devices without authorization is an illegal practice that must be reported, as long as – previously – we verify that it is not a system error or a permission that we ourselves endorse when downloading an application or configuring our cell phone. .
If you received a notification alerting you that your phone is being followed without your consent, either with a Airtag, or with any other type of tracker (Galaxy SmartTag or Tile Pro), the first thing you should do is restart the phone to check if it is not an error, as already happened in 2020 with Samsung mobile phones.
On that occasion, the brand acknowledged that “on a limited number of Galaxy devices” the “Find my mobile 1” notification appeared, which was sent “involuntarily” by the company during an internal test.
Turn off tracking
Once the above has been discarded, if the tracking message continues to appear, it is time for you to review the settings of your mobile phone or tablet, especially if they are from Apple, since iPhones and iPads are part of the brand’s “Search” network, which makes them transmitters of the signal that the Airtag.
READ: They sue Apple for harassing women and being ‘complicit’ in homicides with its AirTag device
That is, all of this company’s devices send data to Airtags, which are small wireless tracking devices connected to Apple’s network, whose objective is to help us locate objects, showing us their precise location.
However, if using this technology someone is following you without your authorization, even if you do not find the Airtag or an accessory such as Airpods with you, it is possible to deactivate said location by entering the Search or Find application on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Since you have accessed that app, you must choose the “Items” option and then, scrolling to the bottom, enter “Items detected with you”, That is where you will find, to deactivate them, all the devices that are following you without your permission.
According to Apple instructions, when deactivation has been carried out It is advisable that you capture the screen, and save the Airtag serial number, as it is a test in case you decide to report.
Untrack on Android
If your mobile is not from Apple, but from another brand that uses the Android operating system, to know if an Airtag or some other compatible tracking item is sending your location without your authorization, you must download the Google Play store. Tracker Detector application.
To use this app you must activate Bluetooth and then press “Scan”, with this you will know if your cell phone is being geolocated with a device that is near you.
Another option in this operating system is found in Settings, in the “Connected Devices” section. The connections between your mobile phone and other devices will appear there.
Choose appropriately
There are times when the location of our cell phone is activated for all installed apps, because we ourselves authorize it when configuring the phone or when downloading applications. Although, some of these cannot function without said geolocation, as is the case of bank applications in Mexico, most can be used without your location being necessary.
In this case, to know what permissions you have given to the applications installed on your mobile, you must go to the phone’s configuration or settings, and enter the information of each app, there you can deactivate the tracking of these programs.
Remember that this is not an option, even if it is available, for your bank’s application, since all the apps of the financial institutions in our country necessarily require your location, which is used to detect if someone illegally accesses your account.
Now yes, report
After having verified that, indeed, someone has been following you without your authorization, you must report it to the Cyber Police, to whom you must provide the evidence you have.
In addition to the specialized corporation at the federal level, which is part of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the complaint can be made, even by email, at the Prosecutor’s Office of the entity in which you reside.
To do this, we provide you here with the official data of each of these authorities.
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Surya Palacios Journalist and lawyer, specialist in legal and human rights analysis. She has been a reporter, radio host and editor.