LinkLiar For Mac

Every Apple and non-Apple device with a network interface has a unique identifier — a MAC address — which can be used to track it when you connect to a public network, usually via Wi-Fi. While your iPhone automatically spoofs your device's MAC address to limit tracking, your MacBook does not.

LinkLiar is an open-source app that makes it somewhat safer to connect your MacBook to public networks. It broadcasts a randomized MAC address instead of your adapter's unique identifier when connecting to a new network, and it is easily controllable from the menu bar.

The app is very simple to use. Once launched, you will find it in the menu bar. It lists the original MAC address of each network interface (Ethernet and Wi-Fi), and you have the option to randomize them, define a new one manually, or broadcast the original address.

The menu bar icon highlights whether one of the unique MAC identifiers is being broadcasted at any given time, and indicators are displayed for each device as well. You can also set up a default action for new network devices.

Whenever you connect your MacBook to an unknown network, normally a public Wi-Fi hotspot, your Wi-Fi adapter's unique MAC address will be visible to the network's owner, and it can be used to track your movements. With this app, a randomized MAC address will be broadcast instead, just like on your iOS device.

While LinkLiar can also spoof your Ethernet adapter's identifier, this is less useful, as people don't usually go around plugging into unknown networks via an Ethernet cable, and the tracking potential is limited. With that in mind, it would be nice if the menu bar icon didn't display the leak notifier if your Wi-Fi is spoofed, but not your Ethernet adapter.

As with any privacy-related app, you're bound to ask if the information available to LinkLiar can be used maliciously. If you're not convinced of the developer's good intentions, you can go ahead and grab the source code, analyze it, and then compile the app yourself.

Whichever way to go about using it, LinkLiar is a great tool for MacBook users who want to ensure they can't be tracked through public Wi-Fi networks via their device's MAC address.