Google tracking and mapping your wireless devices
There are reports that Google is tracking people’s Wi-Fi MAC addresses and will be mapping them onto Google Maps. The MAC address which can uniquely identify a person’s laptop, smartphone, or any other device with 802.11 Wi-Fi capability. If this pans out to be true, then I have no idea what Google is thinking and I can’t imagine that they would be allowed to continue on doing this.
However, it should be noted that others can already do this and it might be a good idea to randomize your MAC address using this free tool. I would also WARN that anyone using MAC filtering on their own Wi-Fi network at home or a company Wi-Fi network should NOT change their MAC address because they would be locked out of the network. However, I highly recommend against the use of MAC filtering but if you’re stuck with it for whatever reason, you’re stuck with the same MAC address.

[...] Google tracking and mapping your wireless devices [...]
I suspect they’re only logging access point MACs. BTW, Skyhook and Wigl have been doing this for years.
If it’s just AP MACs, then it’s probably not *that* bad.
[...] [...]
Leave your response!
Twitter Feed
About Us
Digital Society is a digital think tank that believes culture and commerce are inseparable, that the digital economy flourishes when people are free and rights are secure, and that free markets free people.
Digital Society is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization, funded by donations from Jon Henke and from Arts+Labs. We advocate for a pro-culture, pro-commerce digital society through research, analysis and debate on emerging technology issues.
Reply Comments
Transparency and interactivity are trademarks of the Internet era, and we aim to foster them here at Digital Society. It is inevitable that some people will disagree with the technology policy positions we take. We want to have that constructive debate.
The Reply Comments feature gives our critics a chance to respond to our viewpoints and the Digital Society audience convenient access to competing arguments. Any time we directly challenge the views of an individual or a group on this site, the party in question may substantively respond in a guest post.
Please contact executive director Jon Henke by e-mail.
Subscribe
Daily Digest Email
Recent Posts
Recent Posts
Most Commented
Most Viewed