How Anyone Could Secretly Track Your Smartphone

Advertisers and government agencies may soon be able to track you online by identifying your smartphone using its accelerometer — the device that tells apps which way you're pointing your phone — according to researchers at Stanford University and the Israel Institute of Technology.

No two phones roll off production lines exactly alike, Hristo Bojinov, one of the Stanford researchers, told Mashable. Tiny "defects" in accelerometers are unique to each phone, which allows them to be identified.

"This could provide a way for mobile devices to get identified as they browse the Internet, without reliance on cookies," Bojinov said. "We can think of some uses for individuals, but the majority of scenarios would be in the device identification and tracking category." Read more...