Members of the BuzzBlog Brigade were asked to weigh in on the notion of private property owners being required by regulation or law to secure their wireless networks. Here’s what Bob O’Connor had to say:
The first question that pops into my mind is what’s in it for the owner? There must be something in it for the owner to take on the cost and responsibility of ensuring compliance.
If he is the network owner or ISP, there could be issues of cost providing adequate bandwidth. The only other thing that comes to mind is liability. If they take steps to monitor or control what is on the network then they may become liable for everything that is happening on their network.
If the bandwidth is coming via my private DSL or cable then my personal opinion is that it is none of their business if my network is secure or not. I really do not like a world where I am protected from myself in everything I do. If they want to protect me from me provide technical assistance and education on why it is good to practice safe wireless.
— Bob O’Connor
