\n<\/p>\n
However, the company says that\u2019s just not true, in a statement<\/a> shared with The Verge<\/em> Friday afternoon. \u201cPeak Design has not provided customer information to the police and would only do so under the order of a subpoena,\u201d the statement signed by CEO Peter Dering reads. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe cannot associate a product serial number with a customer unless that customer has voluntarily registered their product on our site.\u201d The statement goes on to say that the serial numbers on the V1 of the Everyday backpack \u201cwere not unique or identifying … We did not implement unique serial numbers until V2 iterations of our Everyday Backpack.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So, how did we even get here?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In footage of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the shooter has a gray backpack with a top flap, which the NYPD believe is the same one they recovered in Central Park<\/a> a few days later. The bag they eventually located is gray with black piping and what looks to be a tan-colored contrasting tab on the corner of the flap \u2014 just like Peak Design\u2019s crowdfunded<\/a> \u201cEveryday\u201d V1 model. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dering saw the similarities, too. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n He\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0The New York Times<\/em>\u00a0last week that the item was likely bought\u00a0between 2016 and 2019. Dering told the Times <\/em>that he called the NYPD tip line to share what he knew and vowed to do \u201cwhatever is possible\u201d to identify the shooter, including consulting Peak Design\u2019s legal team to see what he could share with police.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Times <\/em>story is just 300 words long, but it appears to have sparked a wave of anger among those sympathetic to the suspect, Luigi Mangione. Despite the Times <\/em>story’s lack of mention of a serial code, the rumor spread like wildfire before the company\u2019s denial today. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n On the Peak Design subreddit, which is moderated by the brand,\u00a0posts<\/a>\u00a0have popped up discussing the company\u2019s ability to track customers using the serial number on a bag and tips on\u00a0how to delete customer information<\/a>. The complaints largely center on the fact that Dering volunteered any information\u00a0at all\u00a0<\/em>to police\u2014a significant shift in public attitudes<\/a> around a killing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a follow-up email to The Verge, <\/em>Dering added: \u201cIf you do choose to register a Peak Design product, and it is lost or stolen, you can reach out to our customer service team and have your registration erased, so the bag is not traceable back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n