As the resurgence of sneaker culture has gotten more people interested in shoes, many shoe shoppers are learning all sorts of fun facts about the footwear they’re buying.
From figuring out which shoes are really waterproof, to determining which ones are best for running, to simply trying to figure out why you love a certain style of shoe so much, every sneaker purchase comes with a lesson.
However, sometimes, those lessons can be a bit frightening. At least, that’s what’s being alleged by TikTok user Branon Thomas (@drjuicenationwide1) in a video with over 200,000 views.
Can Nike Track You Through Your Shoes?
In his video, the TikToker alleges that there are “tracking devices” hidden in shoes with a “Nike+” mark.
To prove his point, Thomas finds a pair of the Nike+ shoes at Goodwill. He then removes the sole of the left shoe. “It’s usually in the left shoe,” he explains. And then he shows that there is a small pocket hidden in the shoe.
“They have this little slot right here,” he says, referring to a grey object under the sole of the shoe. “Grab it. It’s a tracking device inside your Nike.”
“This is, like, a deep secret of Nike,” Thomas states.
Do Nike Shoes Really Come With Trackers?
No.
For context, the Nike+ line is a now-defunct line of Nike products that allowed wearers to insert a small activity tracker to track their runs.
While these trackers could theoretically be used to track a person, they lack any GPS of their own. That means that, in order to access a runner’s tracker, experts say that a hacker would first need to identify the victim’s sensor number. Then, they would then have to hide receivers and antennas along the runner’s path, making sure the victim is always within about 60 feet of them. Finally, they’d need a way to capture and analyze the data transmitted from the sensor.
In short, while it’s technically possible, it’s not something that someone picking up a used pair of Nike+ shoes should worry about.
Additionally, one also need not worry because the shoes didn’t come with the tracker. The tracker was sold separately. Instead, the grey item removed from the shoe by the TikToker was simply a piece of foam, as is evident from other explanations of the Nike+ system.
In summary, no, Nike+ shoes did not come with trackers installed in them. And if the Nike+ tracker were already in the shoes, actually determining someone’s location using them would be difficult, bordering on impossible.
@drjuicenationwide1 They can track you in case you get kidnapped #goodwil #thrift #fyp
Commenters Don’t Buy It
In the comments section, users didn’t fully buy into the idea that they were being tracked through their shoes.
“Your phone’s a tracking device, Homie,” wrote a user.
“I was a store Manager for Champs Sports & Finishline. That isn’t a tracking device. You have to buy the Nike+ chip separately to track your progress,” added another.
“Connects to the health app to monitor activity,” noted a third.
BroBible reached out to Thomas via TikTok and Instagram direct message and to Nike via email.