California Legislates Smart Wi-Fi Security

The California legislature has passed a bill that would require makers of wireless computer equipment to warn consumers of the risks of not securing wireless networks against “piggyback” users. Under the terms of the Wi-Fi User Protection Bill, which must be signed by the governor to take effect, makers of wireless hardware must, by October 2007, do one of four things: place warning labels on boxes, put warnings in the setup software, include warnings in the process to implement the hardware, or set the hardware to be secured by default. A spokesperson from Linksys, leader in Wi-Fi hardware, said the company supports the legislation. “Anything we can do to educate consumers … is good for the industry overall,” she said. Wi-Fi industry analysts, on the other hand, questioned the usefulness of the law. Paul Debeasi of Burton Group said, “The question is, can we legislate away consumer idiocy?” Another analysts characterized the law as a “solution in search of a problem,” comparing it to “cautioning the coffee drinker that the beverage is hot.”

CNET, 30 August 2006