Google confirms capture of Wifi Data in CT

The Google Wifi scandal - where Street View cars captured data from unsecured wireless networks as it mapped locations - is now officially not just a European issue. CT attorney general - and senatorial candidate - Richard Blumenthal has announced that they have admitted collecting the same kinds of data in Connecticut.

Google told Blumenthal’s office it “believes” it started collecting WiFi data in Connecticut in 2008.
“Google’s acknowledgement that it vacuumed up data from unencrypted wireless computer networks in Connecticut is disturbing and demands additional inquiry,” Blumenthal said. “Google grabbed information -- which could include emails, passwords and web-browsing -- that consumers rightly expect to be private. Google needs to better explain how this practice happened, exactly when, where and why.
“We will consider the legality of Google’s WiFi collection practices. Google’s actions raise troubling and profound questions about privacy and whether laws need to be clarified or changed,” Blumenthal said.

This is also a good reminder to secure your network as even a very simple password in WEP or WPA security would have foiled the attempt to snoop. If you're not sure how to set up security on your router, please contact the manufacturer.

Just one more tweet! Please!!!

It was not long ago that I valued the complete escape that a vacation offered. The office couldn't reach me by hook or by crook. I was completely free from anyone I did not choose to contact in some way. Nowadays, I find myself seeking out hotels with internet - wired or wireless. And add to this an iPhone that connects to 3G 24/7, and a Skype connection that I can check from any network-connected computer.

Is this a network or connection addiction? I am not the only one I know who is this way. I am not even the most prolific tweeter I know. Is this a sickness, or just the usual human proclivity to overdo everything?

WiFi Comes to Airplanes Again

Delta has announced that they'll be offering wireless internet access on domestic flights, powered by GoGo. Costs will be $9.95 for shorter than 3 hour flights and $12.95 for flights lasting at least 3 hours. Alaskan Airlines and Southwest Airlines are testing a different technology. It appears that American Airlines either already has or is planning on using the GoGo service as well. While having wireless internet in the air would be nice to pass the time, the bigger issue really is battery life. I'd prefer that they actually finished putting AC outlets in every row before they started offering something like WiFi. And at $9.95 / $12.95, would it be worth it to you?

AT&T Makes Hot Spots FREE for iPhones

This has been rumored for a long time, but now apparently is official. I wonder if it will be on all iPhones, or only 3Gs. Either way, it is a welcome change.

All too true

Not at my house (WAP2 protected) but all around me.

Big Brother at the Beach?

About a decade ago, we went over to Ocean City, NJ instead of our usual staple of Wildwood, because it was a bit closer to home. The ambiance is different, and the crowds are a little more transitory (i.e. you don't get families there for the whole week, for the most part). And there was a charge to get off of the boardwalk and onto their beaches. The place was nice enough, but we quickly decided we'd rather drive the extra hour for Wildwood. Since then, the place has gone downhill quickly, losing both vacationers and businesses to its crumbling infrastructure.

Well, now they are planning to do an overhaul that will make Ocean City the "model for the 21st century beach resort". They are planning ubiquitous WiFi (i.e. the ability to get onto the wireless web from anywhere in the city) and to use RFID chips in wristbands to monitor the tourists in town. This comes with the good - a mother will be able to monitor where her children are via the RFID chips - and the bad - it will be far easier to enforce the beach policy and harrass those who attempt to violate it, even innocently.

It is an interesting idea. But the way it is being proposed, I could easily see it being abused very quickly.

WiFi Revolutionizing Cell Phones

Aside from that unnamed phone I promised I wouldn't post on again this week, there is more WifI Cell Phone news out there. T-Mobile has announced a new service called "HotSpot @Home". If you buy into the new service, you get a free wireless router in addition to your cell phone. The cell phone can then use VOIP to make calls on any Wifi network, and then roam transparently onto your cellular network, and then abck again. You also get free use of any T-Mobile Hotspot in the country (mostly found in Starbucks) for your VOIP calls. Oh, and all calls made on WiFi are free and DO NOT count against your monthly minutes.

Very cool. And perhaps a cure for Cell Phones that do not work well indoors.