Serial Numbers, Stolen Red Cameras?

[Gavin Greenwalt]

I'm an fx artist not a detective. I wouldn't expect the serial number in footage to do all that much good. If I were to happen to see a piece of footage shot by a camera serial # that I somehow miraculously remembered as stolen I would report it. But that's a lot of ifs.

 

[oldphart]

Sure... But it's just metadata and as soon as the footage as converted or the metadata is altered, that information is gone.

It would make it impossible to buy a stolen camera in good faith.
The software could even pop up a warning. More than a warning would be bad, because there will always be false positives.

It could work with a relatively low volume item like the Red. It does not work for computers and GSM phones. A stolen laptop will broadcast the hardware ID of its network adapter. It does not help as long as there is no way of reporting IDs of stolen devices. With GSM phones it is possible because operators register the hardware ID their SIM-card is used on, but hardly ever done because tracing usually costs more than a new phone.