[LINK] BlueCava tracks individual devices, assigns creditworthiness

[Steven Clark]

On 02/12/10 10:05, Fernando Cassia wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 1, 2010 at 6:08 PM, Stilgherrian <stil at stilgherrian.com>
> wrote:
>> So, you thought tracking cookies were bad...
>>
>> "IRVINE, Calif.—David Norris wants to collect the digital
>> equivalent of fingerprints from every computer, cellphone and TV
>> set-top box in the world.
>
> By device fingerprints, maybe he meant "MAC ADDRESS". Those are
> unique and cannot be easily masked or changed at will unlimited times
> like a browser user-agent string in a point-and-click fashion.

Quite possibly.

Though this 'fingerprint' could be akin to Microsoft's
counter-counterfeit approach - profiling hardware *and* software. Doing
both provides much more useful information.

The idea that you as an individual cannot be identified only makes sense
in the limited view that 'identified' = named.

That last step is  possible (largely trivial) in a large proportion of
instances by simply combining data about device/s with data related to
their use/s - particularly if the device data includes software
'fingerprints'.

Just because you refrain from the last step, doesn't mean you haven't
'identified' the end user/s. It just means you dodge most privacy oversight.

Which leads me to the question: do they ask permission/seek consent
before collecting this data?

-- 
Steven R Clark, BSc(Hons) LLB/LP(Hons) /Flinders/, MACS, Barrister &
Solicitor

PhD Scholar
School of Commerce, Division of Business
City West Campus, University of South Australia (UniSA)
http://people.unisa.edu.au/Steven.Clark

Deputy Director, Community Engagement Board (CEB)
Chair, Economic, Legal and Social Issues Committee (ELSIC)
Australian Computer Society (ACS)
http://www.acs.org.au/index.cfm?action=show&conID=acscas

*Disclaimer:* This is email is not legal advice. Comments and statements
above are based on my understanding of the issues at hand, and my
attempts to understand them. They are intended to add to, and elicit
discussion. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, opinions and statements
are mine, not those of UniSA or the ACS.