Why You Should Run an Open Wireless Access Point

By Adam Pash on January 11, 2008 at 3:45 PM

stealthiswifi.jpgSecurity expert Bruce Schneier discusses why he runs an open wireless network, stressing that he sees no good reason not to let others leech his wireless access point. For example, in reference to the common argument that you may be sued by the RIAA for copyright infringement by others using your Wi-Fi, Shneier explains:

The RIAA has conducted about 26,000 lawsuits, and there are more than 15 million music downloaders. Mark Mulligan of Jupiter Research said it best: “If you’re a file sharer, you know that the likelihood of you being caught is very similar to that of being hit by an asteroid.”

Last week when we discussed the ethics of Wi-Fi stealing, 85% of you admitted to happily using open Wi-Fi networks, but only 15% of you actually run an open network for the purpose of allowing such behaviour. So after the endorsement of Schneier, I’m curious if any of the 76% of you who said you were too protective of your bandwidth and data to run an open network feel any differently. Give us your reaction to Schneier’s arguments in the comments.

Steal This Wi-Fi [Wired]

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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

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    January 10, 2008 at 8:32 PM

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