<span style="font-weight: bold;">Michiel de Jong <<a href="mailto:michiel@unhosted.org" target="_blank">michiel@unhosted.org</a>></span>
Jul 05 10:13PM +0200
<a href="?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4#130fcf50df13f45f_digest_top">^</a><br>
<br>
this has some info <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15194360,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15194360,00.html</a><br>
<br>
and this is relevant to the topic:<br><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/open-wireless-movement" target="_blank">https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/04/open-wireless-movement</a><br>
<br>
so there are two problems with open wifi:<br>
- the wifi protocol does not have a safe way of being open. it is either<br>
encrypted and closed, or open and unencrypted. This means that open wifi<br>
routers suffer from poor security for all protocols except ones that are<br>
themselves secure, like vpn, ssh and https.<br>
- it is (at least in some countries) illegal to give connectivity to<br>
strangers, or at least, it makes you partly responsible for the
behaviour of<br>
those strangers. this is absurd - it is like if you allow people to walk<br>
over your land, and a bank robber uses that path to get away, you become<br>
responsible for helping that bank robber get away over your land. Afaik
such<br>
rules do not apply to when you allow people to use a path over your
land,<br>
but it apparently does apply if you allow people a path over your
router.<br>
<br>
Anyway, what i understand is that since Fon is a closed club of people
(only<br>
Fon owners can use other Fon access points), it's like those cigar bars
that<br>
evade the non-smoking policy because they are a 'members club' instead
of a<br>
bar.<br>
<br>
Instead of blocking these efforts, governments should take an example
from<br>
Estonia, a country that understood that universal wifi is a good thing
for a<br>
civilized country - something like universal education, health care<br>
etcetera.<br><a href="http://news.cnet.com/Estonia-sets-shining-Wi-Fi-example/2010-7351_3-5924673.html" target="_blank">http://news.cnet.com/Estonia-sets-shining-Wi-Fi-example/2010-7351_3-5924673.html</a><br>
<br>
HTH<br>
Michiel<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>P2P Foundation: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</a> - <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a> <br>
<br>Connect: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.ning.com" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.ning.com</a>; Discuss: <a href="http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation" target="_blank">http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation</a><br>
<br>Updates: <a href="http://del.icio.us/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://del.icio.us/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens</a><br>
<br><br><br><br><br>