[lokopodium]

Mac address randomization is a must if your wifi is on in public (you don't even need to connect anywhere to be fingerprinted and tracked). Also use cookie self-destruct plugins for your browser.

[myopicgoat]

MAC address randomisation has been proven to be essentially useless: https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.02874v1

[tinus_hn]

Preventing every possible form of tracking is so difficult it’s almost a lost cause.

Preventing forms of tracking that are actually in use is much easier.

[goblins]

Having read just the abstract is seems that current implementations of Mac address randomisation is essentially useless rather the Mac address randomisation itself.

Hopefully in the future the implementation will improve. Until then WiFi is off.

[y4mi]

Youre still being tracked by your phone service provider though.

[goblins]

Only as far as it goes. Tracking isn't as fine grained. Service providers main concern is the service. Can you be tracked this way? Yes, but not as easily as this is talking about

[stordoff]

Does anyone know how the MAC randomisation in Windows 10 devices stacks up? I'd assume it's better than a fixed MAC, but a quick Google search doesn't give much info. about how easily it can be sidestepped.

[Spivak]

The goal isn't to defeat every possible form of tracking, it's to make it more difficult than it's worth to track you. Do you think this system even bothers to take into account the tiny number of people who turn MAC randomization on?

I don't think my door lock is going to protect me against a professional locksmith, having one is nonetheless still useful.

[defo_nonconvex]

Possible on Android and without root?

[distances]

For avoiding wifi tracking I suggest Smarter Wifi Manager [0]. It's great for automatically keeping wifi off when not at home/work.

[0] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.kismetwire...

[TACIXAT]

As of iOS 8 and Android 5.0 the operating systems should do it automatically.

[michaelt]

  researchers found that "the overwhelming majority of
  Android devices are not implementing the available
  randomization capabilities built into the Android OS,"
  which makes such Android devices trivial to track.
  [...]
  Apple, meanwhile, introduced MAC address randomization in
  iOS 8, only to break it in iOS 10. [...] its network probe
  broadcasts to include a distinct Information Element (IE),
  data added to Wi-Fi management frames to extend the Wi-Fi
  protocol.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/10/mac_address_randomi...