Systems, methods, and apparatus to monitor mobile internet activity

A system to monitor a mobile device, the system comprising:

• a registrar to collect panelist demographic information identifying a demographic associated with a panelist during a panelist registration process, the registrar to register the mobile device of the panelist and to generate a configuration file;
• a proxy server to service a request for media from the mobile device, the proxy server including a virtual interface including a first port, and a second port to service the requests for media by transmitting the request and retrieving media based on the request for media, the mobile device to transmit the requests to the first port, the requests for media to identify the first port in a header of the requests, the second port in communication with the Internet, the first port different from the second port, the configuration file to instruct the mobile device to transmit future requests for media to the first port of the proxy server, the registrar to record an association between the first port and the mobile device such that the requests for media obtained with the first port are known to be from the mobile device, the proxy server to store monitoring data identifying panelist identification information of the panelist associated, by the recording of the association, with the first port of the virtual interface of the proxy server as having received the request for the media;
• and
• a database to store the monitoring data identifying the panelist identification information of the panelist as having requested the media.

A tangible computer-readable storage disk or storage device comprising instructions which, when executed cause a machine to at least:

• obtain, from a panelist during a panelist registration process, panelist demographic information identifying a demographic of the panelist;
• assign, in response to the obtaining of the panelist demographic information, a first port of a virtual interface of a proxy server to a mobile device associated with the panelist, the mobile device to transmit requests for media to the first port, the requests for media to identify the first port in a header of the requests;
• transmit a configuration file to the mobile device, the configuration file instructing the mobile device to transmit future requests for media to the first port of the proxy server;
• obtain a first request for media on the first port of the proxy server, the first request originating from the mobile device, the mobile device transmitting the first request via a cellular network;
• identify panelist identification information of the panelist associated, by the assigning, with the first port of the virtual interface of the proxy server receiving the first request for the media, the proxy server to service the first request by transmitting the first request from a second port of the proxy server and receiving the media at the second port, the second port in communication with the Internet, the first port different from the second port;
• and
• store monitoring data indicating that the panelist having the demographic requested the media.