More attacks on internet openness
I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy the abundance of free public wi-fi hotspots available at a number of fine retailers. Many times I’ve chosen to eat at Panera because I know I can also use the free wi-fi while there, so there is no question to me that it’s a service that works and improves the bottom line for the business.
Italy boots Google
The internet is a wonderful tool, but like any useful tool, it can be used for good or evil. Is that the tool’s fault? Common sense would say it is not, but there is a disturbing trend that indicates governments may think otherwise.
Recently, an Italian court found Google executives liable for content which was hosted on the high profile video site YouTube. Obviously, the court believes that Google should view every video and approve the content before publishing it. This idea is of course utterly absurd and impractical, but that doesn’t mean anything to a judge. Sadly, the people of Italy will lose out because the easiest and most practical way to comply is to simply block access to traffic from Italy.
I think most people aren’t too surprised to hear of such nonsense from Italy. Italy’s long history is filled with glories that are obviously faded and tarnished. You’ve come a long way from the center to culture and learning during the Renaissance period Italy!
No more Free wifi in UK?
There is new news today that a much more progressive country, The United Kingdom, is also considering a law that could shut down public free wi-fi as we know it! Why? It seems that they want to crack down on illegal activities taking place at universities. The net result of the proposed law however effectively makes the providers liable for the actions of the subscribers.
This is akin to making a gun maker responsible for a murder. Crazy, isn’t it? Not as much as you might think. More and more, there is precedent being established that can make companies liable for the actions of their customers. Parents have been sued for things their kids have done. Bartenders have been sued for serving drinks to someone who later caused an accident. Internet hosting companies have been sued for hosting sites that were involved in a host of unsavory activities.
Free public wi-fi hotspots create a particular challenge to law enforcement because there are no records or identifying information used when a person logs in. It would be akin to offering to loan out guns and not require any identification about who is borrowing them.
This is of course part of a more general issue called Net Neutrality, something I support. However the idea is under constant attack. When a company is damaged because of something that happens over the internet, they want to blame and punish someone.
It’s a lot easier to go after one of the companies operating a service then it is to go after the individual that actually did the action. Because of this, big companies and corporate interested are lobbying hard to make these providers police the actions of their customers.
Keep a watch on these issues. If the trend continues, we could be seeing the beginning of the end of free public wi-fi.
free, Google, Italy, public, regulation, Wi-Fi