[ghiculescu]

The only time I really change my user agent is when I want to see how a website will format itself on, say, an iPad, without actually grabbing an iPad and testing it. In such a case my privacy is hardly a big deal.

I'm not sure as to how my user agent could be a big deal (this article obviously suggests it is) - can someone explain?

[tony_red]

This could be used in fingerprinting and user tracking. The more custom your environment is, the more you stand out from everybody else.