Synonymous (at least, until we start networking Earth computers with those of some alien species) with UUID.
Surely having human-built computers running on other planets or satellites is at least arguably more likely? --AlexChurchill
Not quite true. A globally unique identifier is unique to a particular 'global' scope. Unique 'on this machine' or unique 'for this application'. A GUID in one context may well clash with a GUID in another context - this may well be by design or by laziness (after all, tracking numbers for trainers and MAC addresses are hardly ever going to be present in the same form) - but the unthinking use of them as UUIDs can cause problems when the scope is unexpectedly expanded. --Vitenka
One would imagine that without access to every computer on the planet, it's impossible to know that your Identifier is in fact Globally Unique.
Well, they are usually declared by a process which makes them unique (allocated by manufacturer, for example) - but no, you can never guarantee it. You can make it astronomically unlikely however. --Vitenka
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GUID