Consumer Groups Leery of Wi-Fi Privacy Bill
Should it be illegal to tap someone else’s Wi-Fi?
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has proposed a bill to make it illegal to tap into a wireless network to access someone’s personal data, reports CQ’s Ambreen Ali.
The bill is a response to reports that Google’s Street View cars downloaded information from Wi-Fi networks that weren’t password protected.
But consumer groups worry that the bill would have unintended consequences.
Open Wi-Fi networks are a popular way to share Internet access and information, and changing the law to treat such actions as wiretapping could restrict innovation, said Justin Brookman, director of consumer privacy at the Center for Democracy and Technology.
“I don’t like the idea of companies intercepting and listening, but I have trouble criminalizing it as well. It’s a broadcast signal. It’s not encrypted,” Brookman said. “The question is whether what you legislate today will make sense in 10 years.”
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