Merging them really only means merging the concepts for a common model of administration. Public and private are two completely different modes, and don&#x27;t exist simultaneously.<p>A high-bandwith radio transmitter obviously gives its presence up, but that doesn&#x27;t mean it needs to <i>identify</i> itself. Of course the FCC likes transmitters to do this, but that too is an anti-feature with respect to public-use spectrum.<p>There were obviously tradeoffs involved for 802.11, which is how we got WEP. I&#x27;d just be surprised if having a (semi-)fixed MAC address was ever questioned, given that it&#x27;s the basis for 802.3 and leaking some associated identity is basically a forgone conclusion in today&#x27;s world of license plates, etc. But with the obvious effects of mechanized tracking and aggregation, it really shouldn&#x27;t be. So I stand by my assertion that the designers would have benefited from a perspective where being pushed to do the equivalent of continually shouting&#x2F;showing one&#x27;s identity is a very bad thing.