Idea - Register flippers on a official server?

#1

Maybe it’s a good idea to create some sort of “link” from a owner/device meaning some sort of user accounts on this forum, on official server, etc to be linked to flipper serial number/flipper name.

One for example could have a flipper ID linked to this forum username and if a flipper is lost or stolen it would be for example for qflipper to display a message when detecting a connection from a stolen flipper and log the IP of the one attempting to connect qflipper on-line with a stolen flipper for update, etc …

It would be nice that at server side/factory level there was a way to link the one who have aquire the flipper with the flipper itself…

Many suggestions can be made like for example use the unique serial number to generate somecode that thereal owner would provide to the server to declare the flipper as stolen or keep track of the real owners by creating accounts supplying the ID/Serial, etc …

#2

Sadly, there’s no way to verify that a certain person actually owns the flipper with the name and serial they claim

#3

When one gets a flipper that person do know the serial and name, for example I could say my flipper name and you guys would know it’s serial, so if i claim to have a certan flipper name and if i can provide the serial you guys will know that at this time i do have this flipper even if it was stolen, but as soon as it’s registered with you guys it at some point in the future it gets stolen i can claim it as stolen and you guys will know that in the past i did had that flipper.

So even if in this forum there is a way to provide a name/serial and you guys can verify that it does match if on a near future there is an option to declare flipper as stolen you will know as well that the serial/name is associated with the same forum account that now declared it as “stolen”, so it’s quite simple, even if you guys can’t verify if the first person inserting the name/serial on the forum did get the flipper on a “legal” (buy) way, unless you guys can go even further and log the flippers that you guys sell.

#4

I am very glad, that there is no traceback.
Even if there are some use cases, by what could be done with the flipper, it is nice to know that I don’t need to set up a fake identity.

The flipper itself is not more evil as a knife in the kitchen drawer. But used wrong it cloud do some damage. There are two factors, that can lead to unforeseen consequences:

  1. The firmware is still beta
  2. A lot of the users are noobs

If my flipper will go wild, I think I would recognize it. Because I have an idea of what I do expect to happen.

If I’m a little drunk and send some shit on twitter/facebook/instagram, everything lead to me in person. There is a whole identity, even behind a second account.
Here, I can modify the firmware, test a little around, flash my flipper and start over. Not for bad things, just for testing. No privacy mode needed.

#5

qflipper could be modified to not check this though? its opensource.

also how would this work with custom firmware? you could make custom firmware that sends a false serial number (it could be uploaded through an sdcard/DFU mode/wifi devboard (i think wifi devboard can update firmware on the flipper)/aforementioned patched qflipper app)

Additionally, I imagine many in the community would be wary of this, and wouldn’t opt in (the system you are describing seems opt-in).

Potentially something like that (unofficial i think, although it is in (or used to be in) raspi-config) website for raspberry pis could be created (which basically shows a map of all raspberry pi owners who register with it)
(just found a page referencing the website here:Add your Raspberry Pi to the Rastrack map - Raspberry Pi)

But the qflipper detects stolen flipperzero thing is probably not going to work.

#6

Yeah … The point would be :

1- Only people who wanted to do so would register their Flipper.
2- Name/Serial is on OTP so even if you flash 3rd party hacked firmware if on the future you flash original firmware you will see true name/serial so a buyer of a stolen device would know he did buy a stolen device.
3- Idea would be track devices once official firmware is installed. If you already stole the device you know that you did bad stuff already so you won’t use official stuff, etc … This is to prevent sale of stolen devices as new owner would know device was from someone who report it as stolen.

Regards.

1 Like
#7

Seems reasonable, but I fear someone will spoof the name/serial to register someone elses flipper…
also, how do you sell your flipper (should you decide to do that)? how do you transfer “digital ownership”?

#8

Maybe using an option on the site/server to do that ?