The need for open WiFi
I must admit I've been proactive in prompting
people to secure their wireless networks, but as this
piece from the Electronic Frontier Foundation points out, there
really is a need for open WiFi."The gradual disappearance of open wireless networks is a tragedy of the commons, with a confusing twist of privacy and security debate. This essay explains why the progressive locking of wireless networks is harmful — for convenience, for privacy and for efficient use of the electromagnetic spectrum."
I'm travelling at the moment and really appreciate the kind souls (and organisations) who allow me to connect with the world. A week ago I was sitting in Bowling Green park in lower Manhattan checking my email, courtesy of New York's Downtown Alliance. (There are, incidentally, dozens of free WiFi hotspots in New York. Check 'em out.)
It's really just a technical issue:
"The best solution ... is to have WiFi routers which make it very easy to share a certain amount of bandwidth via an open network, but simultaneously provide an encrypted WPA2 network that gets priority over the open network. Some modern routers already support multiple networks like this, but we need a very simple, single-click or default setting to get the prioritization right."
Industry luminaries such as Bruce Schneier and Cory Doctrow are behind the Open Wireless Movement, and I'd be happy to share a proportion of my bandwidth too. My Telstra cable account allows me 40GB a month. I rarely use it all, and would be happy to open up 20-25% of it.
"EFF will be working with other organizations to launch an Open Wireless Movement in the near future. In the mean time, we're keen to hear from technologists with wireless expertise who would like to help us work on the protocol engineering tasks that are needed to make network sharing easier from a privacy and bandwidth-sharing perspective. You can write to us at openwireless@eff.org."
I'd be keen to get this rolling in NZ. I'll be back in mid-June. In the meantime, leave me a comment or write to me at geoff@pcworld.co.nz.
PC World is New Zealand’s top selling computing and technology magazine.
Comments
While sharing your connection and a certain amount of bandwidth may be a 'nice' thing to do. I can see it coming back to haunt you..
The simple reason being, you cant trust everyone who would use it, to use it legally.
If someone were to use your connection for illegal purposes the cops would have no hesitation in turning up at your place and beating the crap out of you because you own the connection, therefore you must have done the crime.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/4927236/Wrongly-accused-of-porn-after-wifi-hacked
They (the cops) would have no problem roughing you up because you must be the pedo on the end of the connection..
Trying to explain your innocence to cops who just dont want to hear it is going to be good fun..
Just as you wouldn't lend your car, rifle, (or anything else that could land you in the poo) to just any old person.
Unless there is some way of making it BLINDLY obvious that you didnt participate in the illegal activities, before the cops arrive, I wouldn't share it..
Posted by: chris | May 20, 2011 12:23 PM