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"path": "/post/46578117",
"publishedAt": "2026-04-29T02:32:18.000Z",
"site": "https://lemmy.ml",
"tags": [
"Privacy",
"comfy",
"5 comments"
],
"textContent": "submitted by comfy to privacy\n27 points | 5 comments\n\nLet’s say, I sit down in a mall, open my laptop and connect to a secured mobile hotspot. Then I do it again next week after a reboot. What information would a nearby shop or a passive malicious hacker be able to find about my device? Does my device send out identifying information before joining, like a MAC address? Is this persistent, or randomized?\n\nI intentionally haven’t specified a distro, so if something only applies to some network managers, give some details.\n\nBonus points: what about Android phones?",
"title": "On a typical Linux distro, what information do WiFi access points get when you search for and use another AP?"
}