Fear and Mongering in the Blogosphere (iPhone edition)

[From EXCLUSIVE: Apple Secretly Tracking iPhone IMEI and Usage (with proof)]

Another blog slamdown without any factual data. Wonderful. Here is some facts about IMEI’s, lifted from the bastian of sources (Wikipedia)

Format:

AA-BBBBBB-CCCCCC-D

NN – Reporting Body Identifier

XXXXXX – Type Identifier

ZZZZZZ – Specifies the model information

D – Check digit

IMEI’s are globally unique and carry from cell to cell just fine. They are in a sense the GUID (guaranteed unique idenfier) for the phone on any given network, and similar to the MAC address of a computer. IMEI’s are also useful in the blacklisting of phones when they are stolen. Back in the analog days, you blocked the ESN of a phone when it was stolen (I’ve had many phones stolen).

Why would IMEI’s be useful to send with a request on a widget or an app, or even in headers on a web-request? Same reason you put a GUID in a users cookies with a web-app. Easy tracking, easy personalization, better user experience.

If you have tinfoil hats on for an IMEI transmission, might as well do rotating MAC address spoofing. Just don’t complain when your router gets upset.

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