Vara has cool opinions. I like Vara. Keep keepin it real.

On Mar 20, 2017 14:43, "Vara La Fey" <varalafey@gmail.com> wrote:

> Nuh uh. Open hotspots is one of the great things about the internet, and
> from time to time everyone needs one - sometimes in the middle of the night
> or during holidays when lobbies with keys posted aren't available. Open
> hotspots are also a good way to maintain anonymity for dissidents,
> whistle-blowers, LGBT who are not "out", etc. When I have my own routers, I
> often run them open for all these reasons, and I always will.
>
> I sometimes educate family and friends about PGP, and one of these days I
> will run a Tor node as well, with all the censor-circumvention tools
> available. The more that censors and anti-anonymity Orwellianists don't
> like it, the more everybody should do it.
>
> I don't give .001% of a damn whether actual criminals use hotspots or
> anything else, in exactly the same ways I don't give .001% of a damn if
> they use guns, cars, roads, kitchen knives - or anything else.
>
> Instead of desiring safety over the animating quest for freedom, why don't
> you suggest educating people to use https? As it is, the Electronic
> Frontier Foundation (www.eff.org) recently reported that https use is up
> to 40%, IIRC.
>
> - Vara
>
> On 3/20/2017 12:29 PM, Victor Odhner wrote:
>
> I’m really annoyed that so many companies offer open WIFI when it would be
> so easy to secure those hot spots.
>
> Restaurants, hotels, and the waiting rooms of auto dealerships are almost
> 100% open.
>
> I am not one to say “there ought to be a law” because we have too many
> doggone laws, and I’m not that into a lot of demonstrating and yelling. But
> I would love to help educate companies on why they should secure their
> routers.
>
> If I were a progressive type, I’d suggest putting stickers on those venues
> saying:
>
>     We don’t have passwords on our WIFI
>     because OUR WIFI (and YOUR passwords)
>     should be available to everybody
>     with no effort!
>
> But being more right-wing, I’d much rather recognize that they’d be happy
> to do the right thing if we could explain it to the right people.
>
> I’ve repeatedly thanked the mechanic shop I use (C&R Tire on Tatum)
> because they have a key posted and I can feel sort of safe going online
> while I wait for an oil change. But all the places that have open routers
> are corporate owned so it does no good to gripe to the folks behind the
> desk.
>
> Any ideas on this?
>
> Thanks,
> Victor
>
>
>
>
>
>
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