Reply to post: Re: IPv6 addresses

MAC address privacy inches towards standardisation

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Re: IPv6 addresses

" geo tracking built into every IPv6 address"????

No such thing. I don't know where you got that from. The routing prefix is normally 64 bits and that is topological, of course, like an IPv4 address, so it serves for rough geolocation. The interface ID is normally 64 bits too, and the latest IETF recommendation is that it should be pseudo-random and with a reasonably short lifetime. How short depends on how much pervasive surveillance you're willing to accept. Enterprise networks that allow BYO are going to have to get used to this, and the spooks are no doubt frothing at the mouth. (Well, not so much, because mainly they rely on application layer metadata, but if you want to know which machine in a cybercafe somebody used at a certain time, a pseudo-random MAC address and interface ID will make your job harder.)

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