This Tool Boosts Your Privacy by Opening Your Wi-Fi to Strangers

Discussion in 'privacy general' started by ronjor, Jun 20, 2014.

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  1. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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    http://www.wired.com/2014/06/eff-open-wireless-router/
     
  2. Rasheed187

    Rasheed187 Registered Member

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    Like I said before, one of the most stupidest ideas of all time, and no it won´t boost your privacy, this guy is full of ~ Snipped as per TOS ~. :thumbd:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 20, 2014
  3. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    If someone wants additional traffic to mask their own, they can do that by running a Tor exit.
     
  4. Tipsy

    Tipsy Registered Member

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    Except that will also put more attention to them.
     
  5. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    Unlike sharing wi-fi, Tor exits are listed. The days, times, ports allowed, and approximate traffic volumes are documented. Proving that your connection is shared is a simple matter, and legal.
     
  6. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    I have read a couple of horror stories about people running a Tor exit node and being charged with crimes that others have committed.
     
  7. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    That could happen just as easily with shared wi-fi. With Tor, there are sites that can verify that you were relaying traffic on any given day or time. https://exonerator.torproject.org/ With wi-fi, there's no way to show that anyone else was using it.
     
  8. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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  9. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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  10. ProTruckDriver

    ProTruckDriver Registered Member

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    Wow this is a dumb move. Next step they'll want to access your computer.
     
  11. Enigm

    Enigm Registered Member

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    They will use your network-connection .
    (I guess you could call that 'accessing your router ?)
    That's the whole idea - Imagine that ! (pun intended)
    Imagine no 'no network available', Imagine not having to pay your mobile-provider for data-usage. IMAGINE ....


    Yep, sharing what you have is such a stupid thing .

    Baloney, they are NOT suggesting that you should share the resources on your internal LAN with anybody . They are suggesting that you allow strangers to utilize your network-connection . It's not the same as allowing people to see anything on the inside .
     
  12. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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    I read some of the EFF articles about leaving WiFi open, and still don't know how I feel.

    On one hand it's very good for everyone to have as many areas to connect to the internet as possible (if a diaster where to happen for example). For person connecting to a WiFi network he/she doesn't own, it greatly increases their privacy by using an IP that they don't own (as opposed to connecting from their own internet, registered to their name). Now that helps guard against monitoring at the ISP level. And I really do hope one day the whole "opening one’s Wi-Fi network will, in the long run, make it more difficult to tie an IP address to an individual."

    But on the other, if it's (for instance, the guest connection) open and not WPA2 AES or the like- isn't all the unencrypted traffic available for anyone to sniff? There goes the privacy/security for everyone if they're not browsing strictly HTTPS enabled sites ONLY (or VPN). Then also the horror stories of some *insert a SNIP PER TOS HERE* doing something illegal on someone else's WiFi and then the owner of said WiFi having THEIR stuff possibly raided.

    I am looking over https://openwireless.org/ though. The idea is interesting. Again, they're not saying to open your main wireless, but instead add a Guest wireless that'd be separate from your main.
     
  13. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    If such a system starts to take off, I'd expect ISPs to lobby lawmakers to make it illegal. It's illegal for a cable TV subscriber to share their service with a neighbor. I'd expect something similar here.
     
  14. TairikuOkami

    TairikuOkami Registered Member

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    And the next day, FBI will knock on your door, no, they will kick it out, because your IP has shared some child pornography. Try to explain then, that it was not you.
    Once you get accused of something like that, it will stay in your files forever, even if they prove, that it was not you. You pay for that IP, so it is your responsibility.
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2014
  15. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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    Ironically, that 4500 router they used as a picture CAN NOT do Guest Network and will probably never have open source firmware available cause I just checked: https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=51237


    They'd need your hardware MAC address to prove you did anything illegal. But, again that's exactly why I hope one day they finally get that a IP address doesn't mean person in said household.
     
  16. hogndog

    hogndog Registered Member

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    I've used TOR over the years off & on mostly off.. of all the safety nets we use I'm thinking TOR would attract the most attention with their "Allow Scripts Globally" default setting that warm fuzzy feeling began to ebb.. After contacting support to ask them why they said we would attract too much attention to set it otherwise.. As for ProTruckDriver's statement "Next step they'll want to access your computer" I'm afraid they already have my friend.. imo :gack:

    *edit: added imo
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2014
  17. J_L

    J_L Registered Member

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    Yes, more people (others) should do that! For free(dom) if nothing else.
     
  18. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    That's the main reason that I run an exit node. When my finances allow it, I'll upgrade to a faster service to handle more traffic. Running an exit is one of the few things that I can do that offers any effective resistance to this surveillance state. I only wish more people would run exits, or even relays. The more of us there are, the harder it becomes to harass us. My exit is low bandwidth, but excluding power outages, internet service interruptions, and the occasional reboot, it's been up consistently for nearly a year with no harassment or complaints. I find it very depressing that after all the info that's become available to us regarding how our every move is being monitored and recorded, that there's still less than 1000 exit nodes running at any given time.
     
  19. LockBox

    LockBox Registered Member

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  20. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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    I have a problem with one part:
    That's assuming it wouldn't be neighbors. And if a person were to live in a larger city, or next to an apartment complex- heh, I'm sure you're going to have your bandwidth down to a crawl from all the people who discover that they won't have to pay for an internet connection of their own! (and let's face it, your entire block will use your wifi for porn, Facebook, and file sharing). Not to mention, it could go the other way where provider of the wireless could easily spy on whoever's connecting (and you know that people desperate for a connection aren't choosy, so they won't be using a VPN or many sites with HTTPS)

    I don't know. It'd have to be done through Guest Network and then also have the bandwidth of said Guest Network severely handicapped to discourage things other than basic surfing. Then it's almost, you know, why not just let the coffee houses and fast food places take the hit?
     
  21. justpeace

    justpeace Registered Member

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    Stop spreading fut.

    No federal law holds you responsible for how others use your connection.

    It's copyright troll logic 101 and even in these cases attempts to argue that the subscriber is legally negligent have been shut down.

    Even the federal child pornography offenses do not go so far but rather require scienter.

    An IP address is likely sufficient for probable cause to seize equipment at the subscriber's address, but it's not sufficient to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt because the statute requires knowledge.
     
  22. TairikuOkami

    TairikuOkami Registered Member

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    Depends on the country, in Germany a user is responsible for his IP. A woman had to pay a bill for downloading warez, even though at the time of downloading, she did not have computer anymore, but her previously assigned IP was used. You presume, that cops are intelligent, well not really, I have read some crazy news about it.
     
  23. justpeace

    justpeace Registered Member

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    I think you mean this case:
    https://torrentfreak.com/retired-computerless-woman-fined-for-pirating-hooligan-movie-111222/

    It was a ruling from a lower court and the woman did apparently not appeal.
    Germany is a paradise for copyright shakedowns which would be shut down in the rest of the world.

    And a lot of the worst copyright troll shell corporations are connected to Germany,

    But only in France and New Zealand are the internet subscriber responsible for copyright infringement from the IP address.

    A subsequent ruling from the Bundesgerichtshof Federal Court of Justice changes the rules even for Germany.

    https://torrentfreak.com/court-isp-subscribers-not-liable-for-pirating-family-140109/

    There is no similar rule in other European nations.

    Finland
    https://torrentfreak.com/open-wifi-owner-not-liable-for-illegal-file-sharing-court-rules-120515/


    Denmark
    https://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-group-throws-in-the-towel-pirates-walk-free-091107/

    UK
    http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...dresses-arent-people-and-p2p-lawyers-know-it/

    In all other countries than France, Germany and NZ the burden is on the copyright holder; even in a civil case an IP address is not enough.

    And let's not even delve into criminal cases.

    I am not aware of any precedent holding the internet subscriber legally responsible for distribution of child pornography or another serious crime on account of an IP address.
     
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