Patent Publication Number: US-2015063205-A1

Title: Mobile station and method for anonymous media access control addressing

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments described herein pertain generally to wireless communications. Some embodiments relate to temporary media access control (MAC) addressing in wireless environments, such as WiFi networks and networks configured to communicate via the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of specifications. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Many current mobile stations (STA), which include mobile devices, intermittently broadcast a unique MAC address corresponding to the mobile device. These intermittent broadcasts leave these STAs susceptible to third-party tracking, hacking, and viruses. Though temporary MAC address protocols have been suggested as a solution to this problem, none are back-compliant with existing access point software. Thus, there is a need for a temporary MAC address protocol that is compliant with existing access point protocols. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a system for wireless communication, according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a temporary MAC address module, according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a method for managing temporary MAC addressing on mobile devices, according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a system for temporary MAC address management in an STA; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a machine in the example form of a computer system, within which a set or sequence of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed, according to an example embodiment; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates usage of temporary MAC addresses in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for enhancing MAC addressing in wireless networks. Specifically, the present disclosure presents methods and apparatuses that maximize the privacy of an STA while simultaneously maximizing the interoperability of the STA with existing networks and access points. 
     In an aspect of the present disclosure, an STA may choose or generate one or more random temporary MAC addresses (e.g. Locally Administered Addresses), which may allow for some or all of the individual bits comprising a MAC address to be randomly generated as to be compliant with existing network communication standards (e.g. WiFi and/or standards promulgated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)). In an aspect, such temporary addresses described herein may have an associated lifetime of as short as a few milliseconds or less or may be reused in one or more specific contexts to have an effective lifetime corresponding to the lifetime of a network profile of the STA. Thus, the methods and apparatuses provided herein may be configured to select an appropriate lifetime for a temporary MAC address associated with the STA such that maximum privacy and interoperability with existing and future communication standards and access point technologies may be achieved. 
     For instance, in one aspect of the present disclosure, an STA may perform passive scanning, whereby the STA listens for beacons broadcast by one or more access points without transmitting any identifying frames. In another aspect, the STA may utilize a temporary MAC address scheme wherein the MAC address may have a relatively short lifetime, such as, but not limited to, on the order of 10 ms. In this aspect, each scan event may utilize a newly-generated and unique temporary MAC address in a transmitted probe request and may listen for one or more response messages corresponding to the probe request, for example, for the duration of the associated scan event on a given channel. Furthermore, the temporary MAC address may be changed with each channel scan or may persist for a period of time before the STA generates and transmits a new temporary MAC address for scanning purposes. In such examples, because there is no association between the temporary MAC address used in the scan event to potential subsequent access point-STA communications, there would be no adverse impact to using unique temporary MAC addresses for each scan event—which, in some non-limiting examples, may last for about 10-100 ms. 
     In an additional aspect, the methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure may be integrated in a probe request and response capacity. For example, the present methods and apparatuses may be utilized for Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) transmissions in networks using the IEEE 802.11 family of standards (such as, but not limited to IEEE 802.11u) and/or Hotspot 2.0 communication technologies. STAs utilizing ANQP may be configured to transmit query messages to obtain information about an access point, which may include the access point domain name, roaming partners accessible via the hotspot, credential type, an Extendable Authentication Protocol (EAP) method supported for authentication, Internet Protocol (IP) address type availability, and other metadata that may be used for network selection and/or future association purposes. Because an STA MAC address may be transmitted during an ANQP query, communication according to the present disclosure may include generating and transmitting a temporary MAC address during such an ANQP query. 
     Furthermore, methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure may be utilized by an STA for network and/or access point association. The legacy process for association, authentication, and other management frames corresponding to STA association with a network and/or access point requires a persistent MAC address throughout the lifetime of the association. In an aspect, unlike this legacy process, the methods and apparatuses provided in the present disclosure may include selecting a temporary MAC address after scanning is complete and the STA initiates an attempt to associate and/or authenticate with a network and/or access point. In a further aspect, the STA may use the temporary MAC address until the association is terminated or until a configured time period elapses. This time period may be specified by the STA, the user of the STA, a service provider, a network, an access point, and/or the like. Furthermore, when such a timeout occurs, the STA (or access point) may reinitiate the authentication and/or association process. 
     Additionally, in an aspect, the STAs and access points of the present disclosure may be present in networks that use MAC address filtering, which may exclusively allow specific pre-programmed MAC addresses to connect to the network. According to the present disclosure, where a network profile associated with such a network includes an option to specify a persistent identity or MAC address, the STA may generate a temporary MAC address that will be used whenever associating with an access point and/or network (e.g. a WiFi network). Furthermore, because such network authentication schemes may compromise STA identity security by being susceptible to hacking and/or tracking, in an aspect, the access point, network, or an application run on the STA may warn the end-user of the security risk associated with utilizing persistent identity MAC addressing. 
     Turning to the figures,  FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a system  100  for improved STA security through use of temporary MAC addressing, according to an example embodiment.  FIG. 1  includes an example STA  102 , which may communicate wirelessly with an access point  104  over a wireless communication link  108 . 
     In an aspect, the STA  102  may be a mobile device, such as, but not limited to, a smart phone, cellular telephone, mobile phone, laptop computer, tablet computer, or other portable networked device. In addition, STA  102  may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (STA), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. In general, the STA  102  may be small and light enough to be considered portable. Furthermore, STA  102  may include a temporary MAC address module  106 , which may be configured to manage MAC address generation, beacon transmission, and association with one or more access points  104  (or associated networks) for STA  102 . 
     In a further aspect, access point  104  of  FIG. 1  may include one or more of any type of network module, such as an access device or module, a macro cell, including a base station (BS), node B, eNodeB (eNB), a relay, a peer-to-peer device, an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server, a mobile switching center (MSC), a radio network controller (RNC), or a low-power access point, such as a picocell, femtocell, microcell, etc. Furthermore, access point  104  may comprise an access point configured to communicate via the IEEE 802.11 family of networks or any other WiFi access point, such as, but not limited to, a WiFi hotspot. Additionally, access point  104  may communicate with one or more other network entities of wireless and/or core networks, such as, but not limited to, wide-area networks (WAN), wireless networks (e.g., 802.11 or cellular network), the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) network, ad hoc networks, personal area networks (e.g., Bluetooth) or other combinations or permutations of network protocols and network types. Such network(s) may include a single local area network (LAN) or wide-area network (WAN), or combinations of LANs or WANs, such as the Internet. 
     Additionally, such network(s), which may include access point  104 , may comprise a W-CDMA system, and may communicate with one or more STAs  102  according to this standard. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards. By way of example, various aspects may be extended to other UMTS systems such as TD-SCDMA, High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) and TD-CDMA. Various aspects may also be extended to systems employing Long Term Evolution (LTE) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), CDMA2000, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 or later WiFi communication standards, IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system. The various devices coupled to the network(s) (e.g. STA  102  and/or access point  104 ) may be coupled to the network(s) via one or more wired or wireless connections. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example temporary MAC address module  106  of  FIG. 1 , which may be configured to manage temporary MAC addressing associated with an STA (e.g. STA  102  of  FIG. 1 ). In an aspect, temporary MAC address module  106  may include a temporary MAC address generating module  202 , which may be configured to generate one or more temporary MAC addresses associated with an STA. To this end, temporary MAC address generating module  202  may include a random bit value generator  204 , which may be configured to generate one or more random bits that comprise one or more temporary MAC addresses  206 . For example, in some examples, random bit value generator  204  may randomly generate 46 of the 48 bits of a MAC address, which may comprise a Locally Administered Address as defined by the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, as to be compliant with IEEE and/or WiFi standards or requirements of any other wireless standard. Furthermore, temporary MAC address generating module  202  may include a MAC address replacing module  208 , which may be configured to replace a prior temporary MAC address with a new temporary MAC address upon the expiration of a MAC address lifetime associated with a prior temporary MAC address. Furthermore, in another example, temporary MAC address generating module  202  may generate temporary MAC addresses  206  using the Globally Unique Addresses format defined in IEEE standards, and may use one or more Organizationally Unique Identifiers (OUIs). 
     In an additional aspect, temporary MAC address module  106  may include a temporary MAC address lifetime managing module  210 , which may be configured to manage a temporary MAC address lifetime  212  associated with one or more temporary MAC addresses  206 . In an aspect, temporary MAC address lifetime  212  may be a discrete time period, such as a number of seconds, milliseconds, or other time measurement. 
     Alternatively or additionally, temporary MAC address lifetime  212  may comprise the lifetime of an event, such as, but not limited to, a scanning event or an association with an access point. In an additional aspect, such a scanning event may be a probe request, request for service, or other beacon. For example, the probe request may be utilized for Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) transmissions in networks using 802.11u and/or Hotspot 2.0 communication technologies. In such examples, temporary MAC address lifetime module may be configured to set the temporary MAC address lifetime  212  as the lifetime of the scanning event (e.g. the generation, transmission, and response wait and receiving duration). 
     Additionally, temporary MAC address lifetime managing module  210  may include a lifetime expiration module  214 , which may be configured to determine that a temporary MAC address lifetime  212  has expired. For example, lifetime expiration module  214  may include a timer for counting down a discrete temporal period and determining that this time period that corresponds to the temporary MAC address lifetime  212  has expired. Furthermore, in examples where the temporary MAC address lifetime  212  is an event-based lifetime, such as a scan event, lifetime expiration module  214  may be configured to determine that the event has concluded and thus the temporary MAC address lifetime  212  has expired (e.g. a response timeout period has expired or a response to a scanning query is received). 
     In a further aspect, temporary MAC address module  106  may include a transmitting module  216 , which may be configured to transmit one or more temporary MAC addresses  206  to one or more network entities, such as one or more access points. For example, the transmitting module  216  may be configured to transmit one or more temporary MAC addresses  206  during a scanning event, such as, but not limited to, during a probe request. In an aspect, transmitting module  216  may include, but is not limited to, a transmitter, transceiver, and/or computer hardware that may be configured to implement instructions for transmitting a wireless signal. 
     Additionally, temporary MAC address module  106  may include an access point association module  218 , which may be configured to manage STA association with one or more access points corresponding to one or more temporary MAC addresses. In an aspect, access point association module may be further configured to associate a temporary MAC address of an STA with an access point after a scanning event by the STA using a different temporary MAC address. In an aspect, the associated temporary MAC address may be used until the association ends or until a timeout occurs. In some non-limiting examples, this timeout may be configured by the STA, a service provider, a network entity, a manufacturer, service provider, and/or an end user. Furthermore, in an aspect, WiFi frames controlled by the association point association module  218  (and/or transmitting module  216 ) may include Association Request/Response, Reassociation Request/Response, Disassociation, Authentication, Deauthentication, Power Save Polling Packet (PS-Poll), Request to Send (RTS), Clear to Send (CTS), acknowledgement (ACK), and data frames in the contest of a particular network or group of access points with a particular Extended Service Set Identification (ESSID). Furthermore, access point association module  218  may include an access point MAC address designating module  220 , which may be configured to designate a particular temporary MAC address as the MAC address for use with a particular access point, network, ESSID, etc. in the future. For example, access point MAC address designating module  220  may be configured to cache one or more temporary MAC addresses for a length of time (e.g. determined by the manufacturer, end user, service provider, etc.) for subsequent associations with the same network or ESSID. 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a method  300  for improved temporary MAC address management in STAs. In an aspect, method  300  may include generating a temporary MAC address at block  302 . In an aspect, generating the temporary MAC address may be for purposes of generating a newly generated MAC address to replace a current temporary MAC address. Furthermore, the temporary MAC address may be generated by generating random bits that will comprise the temporary MAC address. In an aspect, the temporary MAC address generated at block  302  may be compatible with existing wireless technology standards, such as, but not limited to, WiFi and/or IEEE standards. 
     Additionally, at block  304 , method  300  may include establishing a lifetime period of the temporary MAC address. In an aspect, the lifetime period generated at block  304  may be a discrete temporal time period (e.g. 10 ms, 100 ms, etc.) or may be established as lasting for the duration of an event, such as a scanning event. In an optional aspect, at block  306 , method  300  may include transmitting the temporary MAC address, for example, to one or more access points for scanning purposes (e.g. during a probe request transmission), for authentication with a network or access point, for associating with a network or access point, or the like. 
     In another aspect, at block  308 , method  300  may include determining whether a temporary MAC address lifetime period has expired. In an aspect, this may include determining that a discrete temporal time period has expired. In an alternative or additional aspect, this may include determining that an event, such as a scanning event, has expired, which may include a scanning or response timeout occurrence or the receipt of a response from one or more access points (or other network devices). 
     Furthermore, at block  310 , where it is determined that the temporary MAC address lifetime period has expired at block  308 , method  300  may include replacing a temporary MAC address (e.g. a “current” temporary MAC address that was previously generated and/or transmitted) with a newly generated temporary MAC address. In an aspect, as at block  302 , the newly generated temporary MAC address may be generated to comply with existing wireless communication standards, such as, but not limited to, WiFi and/or other IEEE communication standards. Furthermore, as at block  302 , at block  310 , the newly generated temporary MAC address may be generated by generating one or more random bits that comprise the newly generated temporary MAC address. In addition, once the newly generated temporary MAC address has replaced the original temporary MAC address, method  300  may return to block  304 , where a temporary MAC address lifetime period may be established for the newly generated temporary MAC address. 
     In addition, returning to block  308 , in an aspect, where it is determined that the lifetime period has not expired, method  300  may optionally return to block  306  to again transmit the temporary MAC address. Alternatively, the temporary MAC address may not be transmitted, and rather, the method  300  may return to block  308  until it is determined that the lifetime period has expired. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , an example system  400  is displayed for temporary MAC address management in an STA. For example, system  400  can reside at least partially within an STA (e.g. STA  102  of  FIG. 1 ). It is to be appreciated that system  400  is represented as including functional blocks, which can be functional blocks that represent functions implemented by a processor, software, or combination thereof (e.g., firmware). System  400  includes a logical grouping  402  of electrical modules that can act in conjunction. For instance, logical grouping  402  can include an electrical module  404  for generating a temporary MAC address. In an aspect, electrical module  404  may comprise temporary MAC address generating module  202  ( FIG. 2 ). Additionally, logical grouping  402  can include an electrical module  406  for establishing a lifetime period of the temporary MAC address. In an aspect, electrical module  406  may comprise temporary MAC address lifetime managing module  210  ( FIG. 2 ). In an additional aspect, logical grouping  402  can include an electrical module  408  for transmitting a temporary MAC address. In an aspect, electrical module  408  may comprise transmitting module  216  ( FIG. 2 ). Furthermore, logical grouping  402  can include an electrical module  410  for determining whether the lifetime period has expired. In an aspect, electrical module  410  may comprise lifetime expiration module  214  ( FIG. 2 ). Furthermore, logical grouping  402  can include an electrical module  412  for replacing a temporary MAC address with a newly generated temporary MAC address. In an aspect, electrical module  412  may comprise MAC address replacing module  208  and/or temporary MAC address generating module  202  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     Additionally, system  400  can include a memory  414  that retains instructions for executing functions associated with the electrical modules  404 ,  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412 , stores data used or obtained by the electrical modules  404 ,  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412 , etc. While shown as being external to memory  414 , it is to be understood that one or more of the electrical modules  404 ,  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412  can exist within memory  414 . In one example, electrical modules  404 ,  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412  can comprise at least one processor, or each electrical module  404 ,  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412  can be a corresponding module of at least one processor. Moreover, in an additional or alternative example, electrical modules  404 ,  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412  can be a computer program product including a computer readable medium, where each electrical module  404 ,  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412  can be corresponding code. 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating a machine in the example form of a computer system  500 , within which a set or sequence of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed, according to an example embodiment. In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of either a server or a client machine in server-client network environments, or it may act as a peer machine in peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environments. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. 
     Example computer system  500  includes at least one processor  502  (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both, processor cores, compute nodes, etc.), a main memory  504  and a static memory  505 , which communicate with each other via a link  508  (e.g., bus). The computer system  500  may further include a video display unit  510 , an alphanumeric input device  512  (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device  514  (e.g., a mouse). In one embodiment, the video display unit  510 , input device  512  and UI navigation device  514  are incorporated into a touch screen display. The computer system  500  may additionally include a storage device  515  (e.g., a drive unit), a signal generation device  518  (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device  520 , and one or more sensors (not shown), such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. 
     The storage device  515  includes a machine-readable medium  522  on which is stored one or more sets of data structures and instructions  524  (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions  524  may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory  504 , static memory  505 , and/or within the processor  502  during execution thereof by the computer system  500 , with the main memory  504 , static memory  505 , and the processor  502  also constituting machine-readable media. 
     While the machine-readable medium  522  is illustrated in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more instructions  524 . The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present disclosure or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatile memory, including, by way of example, semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. 
     The instructions  524  may further be transmitted or received over a communications network  526  using a transmission medium via the network interface device  520  utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, mobile telephone networks, Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, 3G, and 4G LTE/LTE-A or WiMAX networks). The term “transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by the machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to facilitate communication of such software. 
     Examples, as described herein, can include, or can operate on, logic or a number of modules, modules, or mechanisms. Modules are tangible entities capable of performing specified operations and can be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In an example, circuits can be arranged (e.g., internally or with respect to external entities such as other circuits) in a specified manner as a module. In an example, the whole or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors can be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, an application portion, or an application) as a module that operates to perform specified operations. In an example, the software can reside (1) on a non-transitory machine-readable medium or (2) in a transmission signal. In an example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform the specified operations. 
     Accordingly, the term “module” is understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transitorily) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform part or all of any operation described herein. Considering examples in which modules are temporarily configured, one instantiation of a module may not exist simultaneously with another instantiation of the same or different module. For example, where the modules comprise a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor can be configured as respective different modules at different times. Accordingly, software can configure a hardware processor, for example, to constitute a particular module at one instance of time and to constitute a different module at a different instance of time. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates usage of temporary MAC addresses in accordance with some embodiments. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the device MAC address  602  is not used for network operations including Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) transmissions in which a MAC address is to be transmitted. A first temporary MAC address  604  may be used for scans  605 , a second temporary MAC address  606  may be used for scans  607 , a third temporary MAC address  608  may be used for ANQP transmissions  609 , a fourth temporary MAC address  610  may be used for association  611  with a first network, a fifth temporary MAC address  612  may be used for scans  613 , and a sixth temporary MAC address  614  may be used for association  615  with a second network. The temporary MAC addresses may be discarded between each operation for persistence of the MAC addresses. 
     Additional examples of the presently described method, system, and device embodiments include the following, non-limiting configurations. Each of the following non-limiting examples may stand on its own, or may be combined in any permutation or combination with any one or more of the other examples provided below or throughout the present disclosure. The preceding description and the drawings sufficiently illustrate specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in, or substituted for, those of other embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, a mobile station (STA) is arranged for communicating in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 technique. The STA may comprise memory to store a device MAC address and one or more processing elements. The one or more processing elements may be arranged to generate a temporary MAC address for temporary identification of the mobile station, establish a lifetime period of the temporary MAC address, and utilize the temporary MAC address during the lifetime of the temporary MAC address instead of a device MAC address for network operations, including Access Network Query Protocol (ANQP) transmissions, in which a MAC address is to be transmitted. 
     In some embodiments, the one or more processing elements are further arranged to refrain from transmitting or broadcasting the device MAC address for network operations, including ANQP transmissions, in which a MAC address is to be transmitted. 
     In some embodiments, the network operations include at least probe requests, scans, associations and ANQP transmissions and the one or more processing elements may further be arranged to discard the temporary MAC address between the network operations. 
     In some embodiments, the one or more processing elements may be arranged to utilize a first temporary MAC address for active scanning, and utilize a second temporary MAC address for association and authentication with an access point. 
     In some embodiments, the lifetime period may be selected to be one of a time period of a scan event, a time period of an association and authentication with an access point, a time period of an ANQP transmission, or a predetermined time period. In some embodiments, the predetermined time period is 10 milliseconds (ms). 
     In some embodiments, the one or more processing elements may further arranged to replace a prior generated temporary MAC address with a newly generated temporary MAC address when the lifetime period for the prior generated temporary MAC address has expired. 
     In some embodiments, the temporary MAC address comprises 48 bits, and the one or more processing elements may be arranged to generate 46 of the 48 bits of the temporary MAC address randomly. In some embodiments, the temporary MAC address comprises one of a Globally Unique Address or an Organizationally Unique Identifier. In some embodiments, the one or more processing elements are further arranged to designate the temporary MAC address as a persistent MAC address for association with an access point.