NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] German court "bans" most open Wi-Fi access?
German court "bans" most open Wi-Fi access? http://bit.ly/9s9rLg (AP / Palm Beach Post) Since the court has apparently ruled that "all" Wi-Fi access point operators must password protect their Wi-Fi, by extension this suggests that home users at least can't "legally" provide conventional open Internet access even if they wish to (whether they should or not is a different question from a security standpoint, of course). I wonder if the court has ruled on the strength and secrecy of such passwords. That is, what if very short passwords are used under WEP, which are easily broken. What if fans of open home Wi-Fi agreed en masse to use the password "Aufgeschlossenheit" -- or set their password to the same string as their Wi-Fi SSID? Of course, since the fine is relatively modest and the court did not rule that open Wi-Fi owners had responsibility for any third-party illegal downloads -- and the fine only comes into play when a downloading violation occurs -- many users may just decide to keep their Wi-Fi open and risk the fine for now. --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator