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German Court Mandates Wi-Fi Lockdown
Doug Caverly
Staff Writer
2010-05-14
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
German citizens who use wireless Internet connections will need to secure them from now on or face a penalty. The Federal Court of Justice (which is effectively Germany's Supreme Court) has decided that people who fail to secure their connections should face fines of up to around $125.
 | | German Court Mandates Wi-Fi Lockdown |  |
The good news for folks who prefer the free-and-open route is that they won't be held responsible for absolutely everything someone uses their connection to accomplish; the Germany court didn't try to punish a network's owner for copyright violations because another individual illegally shared music, for example.
But according to the BBC, the court did decide, "Private users are obligated to check whether their wireless connection is adequately secured to the danger of unauthorized third parties abusing it to commit copyright violation." Password protection is recommended (at a minimum) as a result.
This decision could inhibit the spread of viruses and malware, if fewer people are trading files all day long. It could also cut down on cybercrime (and not just of the file-sharing variety).
Still, the German ruling hasn't exactly been welcomed on a global basis, so don't look for too many other countries to adapt this approach to keeping things secure.
About the Author:
Doug is a staff writer for SecurityProNews, InternetFinancialNews, SearchNewz, and WebProNews.
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