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Google should follow Apple's lead and spoof the phone's mac address while wifi scanning to prevent this kind of tracking. http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ios-8-mac

Google should follow Apple's lead and spoof the phone's mac address while wifi scanning to prevent this kind of tracking. http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ios-8-mac-address-randomization,news-18937.html http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ios-8-mac-address-randomization,...

voltagex_ 12y ago
It's very very possible, although may need some changes to wpa_supplicant to happen. Anyone know if Apple patented this?
- ChrisClark 12y ago
  There is an Android app that will do this for you, if you have root. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.pryfi https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.p...
  - voltagex_ 12y ago
    Aha! What would we do without Chainfire? This is really something that needs to be baked-in at OS level though. I hope Google catches up. Edit: Star this issue - http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=71084 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=71084
- lstamour 12y ago
  If they did... This is one patent that should be openly, freely licensed in the public interest. This feature alone would be enough for me to switch full-time to an iPhone 6 from my Nexus 5.
  - zilian 12y ago
    If you think you'll have more privacy with iPhones... you'll be disappointed.
    - lstamour 12y ago
      I'd have more privacy without a phone, but we all make tradeoffs. In this case, iOS offers distinct advantages not yet advertised in Android or Windows Phone. Of course, my privacy depends on many factors, including the apps I choose to use. But Apple's clear improvements to location tracking, with popups to further allow background location checking both enhances privacy and battery life. I'll still leak data like crazy, but at least the NSA won't have quite as much context, and non-NSA players like advertisers, lesser still.
kjjw 12y ago
Is no one else in the least bit cynical about the timing of MAC randomisation from Apple? Release iBeacon, then shut off an approach others could use to build a competing system.
- moreati 12y ago
  I'm moderately cynical about Apple's motivations. I think they've done it because it helps them make money, not for any altruistic reason. Having this feature helps Apple sell iPhones to us, and the iBeacon platform to advertisers. I don't think that makes a difference though, because Bluetooth LE beacons (iBeacons) are better in this respect - regardless of Apple's motivations. If your Alice's iPhone senses Bob's iBeacon then no information is revealed to Bob about Alice - an iBeacon can't receive, they're transmit only [1]. It's only once Alice installs Bob's app that Bob can get an indication that Alice is near one of his iBeacons. 1. http://radar.oreilly.com/2014/03/ibeacon-basics.html#_iaW3P0 http://radar.oreilly.com/2014/03/ibeacon-basics.html#_iaW3P0
  - wyager 12y ago
    > I think they've done it because it helps them make money, not for any altruistic reason. These are not orthogonal concepts.
    - moreati 12y ago
      You're right, I should have said: altruism was a secondary concern.
- spacemanmatt 12y ago
  Realistically, MACs were invented for one purpose (which they still serve) but many other purposes piggy-backed over the years. This is typical for many technical artifacts. Now that we have realized what we want, that we were getting from MACs, albeit poorly, we can build exactly that. Or Apple can, anyway. This is how our network systems evolve!
- spacemanmatt 12y ago

voltagex_ 12y ago

It's very very possible, although may need some changes to wpa_supplicant to happen. Anyone know if Apple patented this?

ChrisClark 12y ago
There is an Android app that will do this for you, if you have root. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.pryfi https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.p...
- voltagex_ 12y ago
  Aha! What would we do without Chainfire? This is really something that needs to be baked-in at OS level though. I hope Google catches up. Edit: Star this issue - http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=71084 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=71084
lstamour 12y ago
If they did... This is one patent that should be openly, freely licensed in the public interest. This feature alone would be enough for me to switch full-time to an iPhone 6 from my Nexus 5.
- zilian 12y ago
  If you think you'll have more privacy with iPhones... you'll be disappointed.
  - lstamour 12y ago
    I'd have more privacy without a phone, but we all make tradeoffs. In this case, iOS offers distinct advantages not yet advertised in Android or Windows Phone. Of course, my privacy depends on many factors, including the apps I choose to use. But Apple's clear improvements to location tracking, with popups to further allow background location checking both enhances privacy and battery life. I'll still leak data like crazy, but at least the NSA won't have quite as much context, and non-NSA players like advertisers, lesser still.

kjjw 12y ago

Is no one else in the least bit cynical about the timing of MAC randomisation from Apple? Release iBeacon, then shut off an approach others could use to build a competing system.

moreati 12y ago
I'm moderately cynical about Apple's motivations. I think they've done it because it helps them make money, not for any altruistic reason. Having this feature helps Apple sell iPhones to us, and the iBeacon platform to advertisers. I don't think that makes a difference though, because Bluetooth LE beacons (iBeacons) are better in this respect - regardless of Apple's motivations. If your Alice's iPhone senses Bob's iBeacon then no information is revealed to Bob about Alice - an iBeacon can't receive, they're transmit only [1]. It's only once Alice installs Bob's app that Bob can get an indication that Alice is near one of his iBeacons. 1. http://radar.oreilly.com/2014/03/ibeacon-basics.html#_iaW3P0 http://radar.oreilly.com/2014/03/ibeacon-basics.html#_iaW3P0
- wyager 12y ago
  > I think they've done it because it helps them make money, not for any altruistic reason. These are not orthogonal concepts.
  - moreati 12y ago
    You're right, I should have said: altruism was a secondary concern.
spacemanmatt 12y ago
Realistically, MACs were invented for one purpose (which they still serve) but many other purposes piggy-backed over the years. This is typical for many technical artifacts. Now that we have realized what we want, that we were getting from MACs, albeit poorly, we can build exactly that. Or Apple can, anyway. This is how our network systems evolve!
spacemanmatt 12y ago