Kmart has been criticised by the eSafety Commissioner for selling a cheap in-car USB charging device that looks completely innocuous, but has a “disguised” tracking function that could be used by bad actors such as stalkers.

Advertised as a “2-in-1 car charge tracker”, the item costs just $25 and is described as being “undetectable as tracking device” on the retail giant’s official website. It is compatible with Apple’s Find My Device system, which is the same technology used for AirTags. The charger/tracker updates its location by detecting Apple devices. 

4

Kmart says it is intended only to help customers locate their vehicles, but the eSafety Commissioner is concerned that it could be used in ways that pose a risk to victims of domestic and family abuse.

In a statement to WhichCar by Wheels, the Commissioner said Kmart’s device is just one of many similar tech products that are making covert tracking affordable and increasingly hard to spot.

“We’re concerned about the volume and variety of cheap tracking devices being sold across Australia and the safety risks they may pose to victims of domestic, family and sexual violence,” the statement reads.

“Through eSafety’s Technology-Facilitated Abuse Support Service, we know frontline workers are concerned victim-survivors are at greater risk of violence due to the popularity and affordability of covert tracking devices.

“GPS and Bluetooth trackers are just one part of a broader problem of surveillance for victim-survivors … Tech-facilitate surveillance can also include tracking apps or spyware installed on phones, the misuse of geo-location data captured by smartwatches and other wearables, and the weaponisation of tracking histories stored on food and transport apps.”

The eSafety Commissioner also pointed out that it has spent the last eight years calling on companies to adhere to its Safety by Design guidelines to anticipate how products like Kmart’s charger/tracker could be misused. 

WhichCar by Wheels approached Kmart Australia for comment for this story.