To us, you’re just a number
And for your privacy, that’s a good thing.
Yep, it’s true. We don’t collect any personally identifiable information – because we don’t need it. When you invoke the CertifiedDevice service on one of our client’s sites, a unique reference number for that session is generated, and that’s how we pass the data back to our client. So, our client may or may not know who you are, but we definitely don’t know, and don’t need to know. Your privacy is engineered into our solution, and always has been since day one.
Your device is as safe as your privacy
We don’t make any changes to it
We don’t make any changes to your device at all – because we don’t need to. When you invoke the CertifiedDevice service on one of our client’s sites, you execute a programme that simply reads your device, without installing anything onto it. The executable is fully self-contained, and when finished, it simply sits in the Internet cache until cleared. Its session ID means that it can only be used once anyway: If you invoke the service a second time, a fresh executable is used.
Our service Is FACETed.
Fast, Accurate, Comprehensive, Easy to use and Trusted
CertifiedDevice is designed around five key principles, which we summarise as the acronym FACET; Fast, Accurate, Comprehensive, Easy to use, and Trusted.
Fast
No-one likes to wait – so we don’t ask you to. Our service is about the same size as a small web graphic (40KB), so it downloads very quickly.
Accurate
Speed means nothing if the answer isn’t the right one. CertifiedDevice uses a variety of techniques to generate and validate device information, ensuring that when we give an answer, it’s the right answer.
Comprehensive
The devil is in the detail, so we get the detail, and enable your supplier to provide you with the right product, first time.
Easy to use
We realise that if you were a Master Geek, you probably wouldn’t use our service in the first place, so we make the service as straightforward as possible to use. Bottom line: If you can log in and launch apps, then you know enough to use our service. It’s that simple.
Trusted
Privacy is engineered into our solution. We don’t need to know who you are: To us you really are just a number, and for your privacy that’s a good thing.
We like to hear from you:
CertifiedDevice is a consumer-facing service.
CertifiedDevice was originally designed as a service to make consumers’ lives easier, and whilst we’re very proud of the feedback we get we also know that markets evolve and we therefore need to maintain those touch points with consumers to keep our technology targeted on your needs in a changing world. So, if you’ve got something to say, tell us – we’d love to hear it.
Got questions?
Let’s see if we’ve got the answers.
Q: Do I need a specific browser type/version to run the service?
A: No. The technology is browser-independent – everyone’s invited. The only real limitation is the browser versions supported by our clients, but most cater for the full range of browsers
Q: Does the service work on all devices and operating systems?
A: Not all. We cater for those that our clients ask for, and generally their implementations of our technology self-select the devices, operating systems and browsers they want to offer the service for, so you should never be presented with our service if the device you’re browsing on isn’t capable of running our service. In terms of catering for new devices and operating systems, we’re always happy to gather feedback from consumers, so tell us about these and why you would find it useful to extend the service to them, and we’ll factor it into our plans provided it stacks up.
Q: You say the technology is a native programme, not an ActiveX control. Why do I get an ActiveX message in my browser if I run the service?
A: We don’t use ActiveX, for two reasons: Firstly, an ActiveX control installs itself to your browser, and as we’ve already said, we don’t make changes – any changes – to your device. Secondly, ActiveX is specific to certain browser types, and as we’ve said above, we’re browser independent: Everyone’s invited! So why do you see the message re an ActiveX control? Simple: The method we use to launch the service is one that Microsoft associates with ActiveX controls. However, what you’re actually running is a native, self-contained programme.
Q: What information do you actually collect?
A: The technical specifications of the device; all the data that you might or might not know, might or might not get right if asked. A lot of it is pretty dry stuff – your battery voltage for example – but it can be critical if you’re looking to buy a replacement battery!
Q: So could Microsoft use your data (for example) to identify that I’m not running a genuine copy of Windows?
A: No – because we have no idea who you are anyway. The data is all anonymised, so even if a law enforcement agency obtained a court order to access our data, there is nothing they could usefully do with it.
Still got questions? Take the direct route - ask us.