2011/1/15 Swapnil swapnil.bhartiya@gmail.com:
In US you find open/free wifi every where? A country which is much more concerned about security. Here in Germany open wi-fi is illegal, a country which doesn't much care about terrorists. So, what's India's stand? If you have a router at home do you have to keep it encrypted? Can't you still track users through device ID?
Heh. US is concerned about security? That's a joke. They run what Schneier calls a "Security Theatre", that's all.
Second: I think you need to read up on contemporary German history (post WW2) - they have suffered a lot from terrorism than many of their European neighbours. Look up Baader-Meinhof, for example. Or the sad events of Munich Olympics of 1972.
afaik, Germany outlawing open wifi networks has nothing to do with terrorism, but to do with trying to prevent piracy, i.e. making the person who owns the access point responsible for content downloaded illegally through his / her network: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100512/1116409394.shtml
India's stand - so far, nothing. If someone runs an open Wifi and if that connection is used to make mischief by persons unknown, the owner of the access point is "questioned" until he's cleared.
I think there is a law against 'open' wireless networks - not sure what the definition of 'open wireless network' is though - for eg. I think it would be legal (or it least I see these a lot in practice) where the access point is running an open network but it doesn't allow access to 'the internet' unless a user is logged in through some web based authentication mechanism or so. Not sure what the OPs business model is in this case - is it something like Tikona Wi-Bro? They seem to have decent coverage in Bombay ..
I personally prefer to have the choice of running an open Wifi or not, mine. Not enforced by the government.
Personally, I find this paranoia around open wireless networks to be quite silly, and quite agree. Ah well.
-Sanjay
Binand