Does apple keep record of iPad's MAC address?

[wackymacky]

I was wondering if Apple keeps a record of Mac Addresses of iPad/iPhones, say linked to iTunes accounts.

So hypothetically if I was using a wifi hotspot to send information on say Candice Miller's favorite foods to wikileaks, could, could Apple be persuaded to say who owned the iOS that made the post?

 

[old-wiz]

why would Apple bother? They track serial numbers, but not MAC addresses. Even if you find a lost iPad or iPod Apple won't tell you who the owner is.

 

[knucklehead]

Don't assume you are ever anonymous on the Internet.

 

[hans1972]

I was wondering if Apple keeps a record of Mac Addresses of iPad/iPhones, say linked to iTunes accounts.

MAC addresses are not sent by any of the TCPIP protocols or HTTP, so if Apple is doing it, it must be in a high level protocol.

I am pretty sure they don´t collect MAC addresses at all.

 

[Stealthipad]

I concur, they don´t collect MAC addresses.

I also agree with another poster to not send anything over the Internet that is not encrypted. My Blackberry is safe as long as RIM does not give them access to it.

You got to remember that iPads are a big no-no in countries like Israel as they are easy to spy on when on WiFi.

 

[darngooddesign]

I was wondering if Apple keeps a record of Mac Addresses of iPad/iPhones, say linked to iTunes accounts.

So hypothetically if I was using a wifi hotspot to send information on say Candice Miller's favorite foods to wikileaks, could, could Apple be persuaded to say who owned the iOS that made the post?

Almost nothing you do on the internet is a secret.

 

[wackymacky]

My point was that when I log on to a network, even if i use SSL / andm encrypted browser sesion, the router that I log on to the netrok with can see my devices MAC address (even if the packets of data I'm sending down the internet are encrypted).

My iDevice is linked to an itunes account/ mobileme account. Apple knows it's mine when it is plugged in to iTunes and on Mobile ME, I presume via th IMEI number and serial number


So does Apple link these with the MAC address. 9I mean that data's even prited on the stickers that come with iMacs.)

 

[old-wiz]

MAC addresses are not sent by any of the TCPIP protocols or HTTP, so if Apple is doing it, it must be in a high level protocol.
.

Of course MAC addresses are sent by TCP. Have you ever looked at tcp packets? They are full of MAC addresses, source and destination.

The upper levels of tcp/ip stack don't need to know MAC addresses. Upper levels connect to a *NIX port number and a socket.

 

[old-wiz]

My point was that when I log on to a network, even if i use SSL / andm encrypted browser sesion, the router that I log on to the netrok with can see my devices MAC address (even if the packets of data I'm sending down the internet are encrypted).

My iDevice is linked to an itunes account/ mobileme account. Apple knows it's mine when it is plugged in to iTunes and on Mobile ME, I presume via th IMEI number and serial number

So does Apple link these with the MAC address. 9I mean that data's even prited on the stickers that come with iMacs.)

The link between a device (any device) to iTunes account over the network starts via login and password. If you have 3 iDevices, you can access iTunes from any one of them at a time as long as you login.

When you access the net via a router, the router knows your MAC address, but doesn't pass it out to the net; there is no need to.

When you connect an iPod to iTunes on a Mac, they exchange some information to identify the device. If the device is an iPod classic, for example, there is no MAC address since they have no MAC address at all.

 

[Stealthipad]

Almost nothing you do on the internet is a secret.

People who want data to be secure encrypt their data. Even the government can not break good encryption software. The government was it banned except for their use or a built in "back door" so they can get to your info if they have to do so.

 

[geko29]

Of course MAC addresses are sent by TCP. Have you ever looked at tcp packets? They are full of MAC addresses, source and destination.
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They're not actually in the TCP packet. They're in the header of the Ethernet Datagram that contains the TCP packet. That's a small, but important distinction. The source and destination MAC addresses change at every single hop, Ethernet being a Layer 2 medium and all.

The point of all this is, unless one of the two things is true:
A) The source and destination hosts are directly connected (on the same network segment)
B) The MAC address of the source is intentionally included in the payload of the TCP packet for some reason

The destination host will NEVER know what the MAC address of the source is.