If people are hesitant to give out information over the Internet in this age of identity theft, then they will be even more afraid if David Norris’ start-up company, BlueCava, is allowed to track personal devices.
Norris wants to collect the digital equivalent of fingerprints from every cell phone, personal computer and television in the world to sell this information to advertisers. The goal is for companies to have information on a person’s habits, interests and activities in order to assist targeted advertisement promotions. Device fingerprinting works by looking at how people use and set up their computers and mobile phones. By examining the difference in internal clock settings, font usage and software on a given device, a profile can be developed that makes each device unique.
Device fingerprinting was originally used to prevent illegal copying of computer software or to stop credit-card fraud.
Although Norris suggests that the information it collects cannot be traced back to individuals, even if people modify their devices, the technology still permits their machines to be recognized. He believes that it will be a valuable service since it will be a lot more difficult to block compared to other common tools used to monitor people online — like Web browser cookies.
Soon, BlueCava plans to release all the fingerprints it has collected so far, inclusive of connecting the profiles of all devices used by the same person. It hopes to eventually be able to connect the aforementioned with data about people with property records, motor-vehicle registrations, income estimates and other information. –torrance stephens, ph.d.
