Race is on to 'fingerprint' phones, PC, TVs etc...

'
IRVINE, Calif.—David Norris wants to collect the digital equivalent of fingerprints from every computer, cellphone and TV set-top box in the world.'

Every device once set up has a unique fingerprint... the idea being that this stuff can be used for marketing...

Companies are developing digital fingerprint technology to identify how we use our computers, mobile devices and TV set-top boxes. WSJ's Simon Constable talks to Senior Technology Editor Julia Angwin about the next generation of tracking tools.

'He's off to a good start. So far, Mr. Norris's start-up company, BlueCava Inc., has identified 200 million devices. By the nd of next year, BlueCava says it expects to have cataloged one billion of the world's estimated 10 billion 'devices.'

Now evidently this kind of techno can be used for abuse too...

thecortexblog.blogspot.com...


kx

fools and there money.

I would have thought these companies would just grab the devices unique MAC address.

The only way around it for the majority of network devices is to change the hardware (network card).
Some systems allow you to change the MAC address.

Every time a user visits your website, you have there IP Address, (which for most users is dynamic),
and then you simply use that to get the MAC Address via ARP Cache, then check to see if you already have the MAC address in you database of visitors.

Why pay some douchebag for a few lines of code to add to your webserver that you can write yourself?

Thanks for informing us at ATS. S&F

reply to post by CitizenNum287119327


That's an interesting point . . is this applicable to cellphones and set-top boxes also?

Surely someone would have brought this up by now . . is it possible there's something you're missing from the original article? Not implying you are, but it feels too easy :]

Originally posted by redblack
reply to post by CitizenNum287119327

 

That's an interesting point . . is this applicable to cellphones and set-top boxes also?

Surely someone would have brought this up by now . . is it possible there's something you're missing from the original article? Not implying you are, but it feels too easy :]

yes, anything with a network interface has a MAC address assigned to it. This includes digital cable boxes, cellphones, network adapters, gaming consoles, really anything that can be networked.

and soon i will have access to all of your equipment mwahahahahahahahahahahahahah

sorry, this what happens when i get bored and type my own name into the search function.

as you were