NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Law Enforcement "Controls Access" to New Minneapolis Public Wi-Fi Network
Law Enforcement "Controls Access" to New Minneapolis Public Wi-Fi Network
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000729.html
Greetings. With much fanfare in mid-June, Minneapolis announced the
activation of a free public Wi-Fi network, with 117 outdoor hotspots,
"for use by residents and visitors alike."
( http://bit.ly/azPN9N [Star Tribune] )
Just one problem. At the apparently explicit "request" of law
enforcement, you can't access the current system without first
creating an account *using a credit card*!
We're told that, "[The] log-in process was requested by law
enforcement officials because being able to log on to the Web
anonymously presents security concerns."
One long-time expert on municipal wireless noted to me that the CEO of
U.S. Internet (the firm operating Minneapolis' Wi-Fi system) claimed
that federal law *requires* such a procedure. Say what? I've heard
of no such law. Various public Wi-Fi systems require no log-in at
all, and use of credit cards is normally restricted to systems that
actually charge for access.
However, in Minneapolis, it appears to be "no credit card, no Wi-Fi" -- but
if someone establishes an account in your name using a stolen credit
card and then proceeds to do something nasty -- your hassle (or
worse).
What's apparently going on in Minneapolis is a combination of the
desire to enable the tracking of as much Internet activity as
possible, and the time-honored tactic of "CYA"
( http://bit.ly/5HRHfQ [Wikipedia] ).
As I've noted in "Why the New Federal 'Trusted Internet Identity'
Proposal is Such a Very Bad Idea" ( http://bit.ly/9j4X0w
[Lauren's Blog] ) and related essays, open access to the Internet is now
under fire from a variety of government entities who want to be able to
find out as much as possible about everything you do on the Internet,
all of the time.
Efforts to predicate public Internet access on verifiable and easily
trackable identification as a matter of course, should be strenuously
resisted by all Internet users who care about their ability to
routinely communicate as they choose without the threat of real-time
or retrospective surveillance of their activities -- in an ever
expanding circle of dubiously justified circumstances.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
- Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, GCTIP - Global Coalition
for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein