MAC Address

Private Wi-Fi Addresses Limit MAC-Based Tracking

Every Wi-Fi interface needs a link-layer address when it communicates on a local wireless network. This identifier is commonly called a MAC address. Network equipment uses it to distinguish devices while delivering frames within the local network. A fixed hardware MAC address can also act as a persistent identifier. If the same value appears across different places, systems observing Wi-Fi activity can potentially associate those appearances with one device. Modern operating systems reduce that exposure by using private or randomized Wi-Fi addresses instead of presenting the hardware address in many situations.