Counter-surveillance with gotailme – how the international detective agency PalmGroup uncovers hidden tracking devices
Modern surveillance looks less and less like a black car in the rear-view mirror. Much more often it is a small Bluetooth tracker slipped into a handbag, stuck under a car seat, or sewn into the lining of a suitcase. At the international detective agency PalmGroup, we increasingly work with clients who suspect they are being followed – and we increasingly reach for professional counter-surveillance tools, including the gotailme device.
Modern tracking no longer requires a human presence. One AirTag, one rigged power bank, or one forgotten phone with WiFi still enabled is enough. In this article we explain how gotailme works, why PalmGroup detectives use it in daily operations, and where the device itself can be purchased.
What modern surveillance actually looks like
Every smartphone, tracker and Bluetooth device around you is constantly transmitting radio signals. WiFi „shouts” the names of the networks it has previously connected to. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) sends advertisements with manufacturer tags, device type and serial numbers. All of this happens continuously, and the equipment needed to capture these signals costs only a few hundred euros.
• AirTag, Samsung SmartTag, Tile – BLE trackers the size of a coin
• old smartphones and tablets hidden in vehicles
• rigged power banks and chargers
• BLE beacons the size of an NFC sticker
👉 If a device appears in your surroundings once, it is probably a coincidence. If it appears at home, at work, in the parking lot outside the restaurant, and then at the hotel – that is a pattern.
What gotailme is
gotailme is a specialised tracking-detection device built on a Raspberry Pi with dedicated software. It monitors:
• WiFi probe requests from devices in your vicinity
• Bluetooth Low Energy advertisements from trackers, headphones, smartwatches and phones
• FindMy, AirTag, Samsung SmartTag and Tile signals
• GPS position, so the system can distinguish devices that live in one place from those travelling with you
All data lands in a local database on the device itself. Nothing goes to the cloud, nothing is sent to the manufacturer's servers. This is exactly what sets gotailme apart from subscription-only solutions that can themselves be a privacy risk.
How gotailme detects tracking
The heart of gotailme is a time-and-space correlation algorithm. Every device detected nearby is scored based on how often and in how many different locations it has been seen:
1. Time windows
gotailme splits observations into buckets: 0–5 min, 5–10 min, 10–15 min, 15–20 min. A device that keeps showing up across multiple windows draws attention.
2. GPS correlation
If the same BLE tracker shows up at the client's home and 50 km away at a business meeting, it is not a neighbour by coincidence.
3. Known-tracker detection
Apple AirTag, Samsung SmartTag and Tile each have recognisable protocol signatures. gotailme identifies them immediately and flags them on the dashboard as „persistent trackers”.
4. Fingerprint analysis
Every phone with WiFi enabled sends a list of known networks – practically a fingerprint of its owner. gotailme warns when this „fingerprint” could give you away.
5. Real-time alerts
When a device crosses the score threshold, the dashboard raises an alert and marks the route on a Leaflet map.
Why PalmGroup detectives use gotailme
In modern detective work, counter-surveillance is an increasingly important part of what we offer. It used to mean sweeping the client's car for GPS trackers and missing everything else. Today, GPS trackers are just the tip of the iceberg – a classic „bug sweep” does not catch anything that looks from the outside like ordinary headphones or a power bank.
• a complete analysis of the radio environment around the client
• discreet monitoring in a car, flat, office or hotel
• report generation with GeoJSON and Google Earth (KML) export
• full data control – no recording ever leaves the device
👉 gotailme does not replace classic detective work – it extends it. The data from the device is the starting point for further analysis and operational work.
Who needs counter-surveillance the most
Executives and business owners – exposed to corporate espionage, competitive intelligence and pre-negotiation tailing.
People going through divorce or asset disputes – often subject to deliberate tracking by the other party, frequently with AirTags and rigged devices.
Stalking and domestic-violence victims – for whom finding a tracker can be the decisive step toward safety.
Journalists and public figures – exposed to both commercial and political surveillance.
VIPs and their families – for whom movement anonymity is part of personal security.
Where to get the gotailme device
The official project site is gotailme.com. There you can find documentation, the technical specification and information about current software releases.
Ready-to-use gotailme devices – pre-configured, assembled and tested – are available from the mapaho.com shop. This is the simplest way to start using counter-surveillance without assembling the hardware yourself and configuring a Raspberry Pi.
👉 For PalmGroup clients, we also offer full device deployment and data analysis carried out by our detectives.
Summary
Counter-surveillance is no longer the domain of intelligence agencies and spy films. Today there are professional tools such as gotailme that let any interested client verify whether their radio environment is clean. The device can be purchased at the mapaho.com shop, and PalmGroup detectives will help with configuration, data interpretation and any further operational work.
Discretion • Effectiveness • International experience
If you suspect you are being tracked – by phone, BLE tag or Bluetooth device – contact PalmGroup. We will run the analysis and help you regain control of your privacy.
