AlexPGP's Corner

There's a thought-provoking piece over at Wired, written by Bruce Schneier, that argues in favor of running an open wireless network at home. I have a great deal of respect for Schneier's opinions, and to tell the truth, I've never been burned by anyone using a wireless network that I've left open, though I suppose that's always a possibility (as Schneier acknowledges).

I must admit, however, that one of the first things that crossed my mind while reading the article was an item I had read on boingboing, about how a TV celebrity in the UK, in writing a newspaper editorial criticizing privacy activists for what he characterized as an overreaction to the British government's loss of financial details about of millions of UK households, published his bank account details in the article to underscore his assertion that "We have nothing to fear."

Whereupon, quoting the article, "someone promptly began making fraudulent withdrawals from his account." The kicker? Check this out:

"The bank cannot find out who did this because of the Data Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again," he said.

Anyway, leaving my Wi-Fi open right now is a moot point, as the house is pretty far from neighboring residences and I don't expect to be hosting computer-savvy company any time soon.

It's a thought, though.

Cheers...