[whatwg] API for unique identification of devices (mobile/tablet/pc)

[Stan]

Hi,

There are many points.

First, I don't think it's convenient for users to register themselves
on many sites, which they visit occasionally. If most of the users do this right now,
it does not mean they are happy with this, this is bacause there is no other,
more simple way (as simple as just clicking on "remember me").

Second, user accounts are based on e-mails as a rule, which is not unique at all,
every user can have multiple e-mails and multiple registrations. Many web-services
struggle against users' reputation spoofing made via such fake accounts.

Third, I think it's up to a certain web-service design and requirements, if it
needs to identify user accounts or user devices. For example, usage of
the same profile on multiple devices can be a violation of a web-service
license agreement, or a web-service may bind several devices to the same
profile. Multiple browser profiles on the same device do not matter, because
the same device ID will be returned. Moving from one device to another,
or virtual devices - is just the same thing as having multiple devices considered
above.

The main point, if device ID could be available it would provide more great
possibilities for users and web-services.

Best wishes,
Stan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tobie Langel" <tobie.langel at gmail.com>
To: "Ian Hickson" <ian at hixie.ch>
Cc: "Stan" <stasson at orc.ru>; <whatwg at lists.whatwg.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2012 10:54 PM
Subject: Re: [whatwg] API for unique identification of devices (mobile/tablet/pc)


> On Dec 13, 2012, at 8:42 PM, Ian Hickson <ian at hixie.ch> wrote:
> 
>> On Thu, 13 Dec 2012, Stan wrote:
>>>
>>> The reasoning for this API is the need to uniquely identify every device
>>> in many web-applications.
>>
>> Why do you need to identify the device? What about if the user uses the
>> same browser profile on multiple devices?
> 
> More than half of our users login with multiple user agents on a given day.
> 
>> Or multiple browser profiles on
>> the same device?
> 
> Perhaps surprisingly, that's a highly common scenario on mobile
> devices, particularly out of the US.
> 
> -- tobie
> 
>