"It seems like a solution in search of a problem."


Adding warning labels to WiFi equipment
Just once I would like to see advisory labels attached to LEGISLATION instead of products. But it doesn't look like that will happen soon. As this shows only too well.

California's state assembly has passed a bill to require makers of Internet access gear to warn consumers of the risks of using unsecured wireless connections, its backers said on Tuesday.

Legislators in both houses of the state legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor or the "Wi-Fi User Protection Bill" to inform users how to secure networks against "piggybacking," or unauthorized sharing of wireless access, said a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who proposed the bill.

Most Wi-Fi users ignore security options when setting up wireless gear and thus expose their computer networks to public view. Leaving connections open allows nearby residents or occasional passersby to share this wireless access.

One survey by the editor of computer products review site TomsHardware.com in 2004 conducted by flying in airplanes low over the city of Los Angeles found less than one-third of the 4,500 Wi-Fi connections detected to be secured.

"The question is, can we legislate away consumer idiocy?" said Paul Debeasi, a wireless industry analyst with the Burton Group based in Midvale, Utah.

"On the face of it, it's like cautioning the coffee drinker that the beverage is hot," said another Wi-Fi industry analyst. "It seems like a solution in search of a problem."

Every year millions more consumers in the United States and worldwide buy Wi-Fi routers in order to turn home broadband cable or telephone links into wireless links, providing Internet access to any computer in the nearby vicinity.

So-called "piggybacking" violates the terms of service of most access providers who supply the underlying Internet connections. It also can expose users to the threat of hackers invading their computers and grabbing personal data.

It always amazes me that people aren't offended when legislators and regulators repeatedly tell them that they can't make their own choices and should not be allowed to try.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Mon - September 4, 2006 at 04:41 AM  Tag


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