Wireless and Mobile Device Security, 2nd Edition

Is Fingerprinting a Bad or a Good Thing?

Fingerprinting is the process of identifying a device on a network or the user behind the device. There is a common point of confusion regarding the nature of fingerprinting and whether it is good or bad. The broad assumption among the general public (and the media) is that it is both new and bad—a sinister plot cooked up on the Internet to violate the privacy of unsuspecting victims. The reality is that while there are new methods of doing so, fingerprinting of devices and users has been around for about as long as networks. Similarly, while there are ways in which fingerprinting can be (and is) abused, a lot of good can come from it, too. Like many technologies, whether fingerprinting is “good” or “evil” ...