This is a decent *idea*
Sadly manglement and legal pitbulls will get hold of it and turn it into dataminable "historical data" for "reference" and "analysis"
a) mac addresses *can* be altered at the device. End of Line.
The above statement makes the software as proposed INVALID. What more can be said? as a legal tool this is now invalid. Now, don't get me wrong - it makes it possible to *locate a specific mac* if that mac is active - I get that -
i) find missing hardware that was (lost/stolen/dropped off a cliff)
ii) find (runaway teen/missing small that has phone/altzheimer patient carrying panic device etc, heck even stolen cars)
iii) give insurance companies (are you hearing yet?) SOMETHING to recoup losses on stolen devices ... (I suspect this will be the lever that will be applied to make my original proposition occur)
are all possible, but the consequent data:
i) which mac addresses were at what location at what times on which date
ii) which mac addresses were connected to known networks (are you hearing yet) at which location at what time on which day.
iii) what (dramatic event) ensued within x time of y event when the above devices were connected to THAT network.....
(i.e you are developing a data pool that will result in witch hunts hours after (dramatic event)s occur that will trash the civil liberties of a substantial number of innocents.)
I think that the data usage, tracking of said data, and resisting compilation of that data must be written into the baseline proposition before we let the authorities start running this anywhere.
And good luck on the patent front - I've no less that three utilities that do precisely this.