FBI Special Agent Thinks a MAC Address Indicates Apple Hardware

techdirt.com

10 pointsSplendor3 comments

Err, MAC addresses are allocated to manufacturers so certain values indicate it probably[1] is Apple hardware.

Many of the comments on the op also indicate this information.

[1] Some devices allow you to set a MAC address so it is possible that a non-Apple device is pretending to be one.

That was my first thought as well reading this. It's hard to tell from the phrasing whether that's what the agent actually meant, or whether there really was some Mac/MAC confusion, but it seems far from the clear cut "The FBI is stupid" case Techdirt is trying to make.

And along those lines, it would be nice if people would stop posting Techdirt links here. Even for important stories (this is not one of those), the Techdirt spin on it is always the most juvenile option imaginable.

"Prior to executing the search warrant, FBI SA Nicol told me that, during execution of the warrant, I should look for a Mac computer, because the network connection logs provided by Jeffrey Savoy showed a Mac address, indicating some type of Mac/Apple computer or hardware was used."

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