[IP] Concerns over Google WiFi proposal and privacy
Google in San Francisco: 'Wireless overlord'?
By Elinor Mills
http://news.com.com/Google+in+San+Francisco+Wireless+overlord/
2100-1039_3-5886968.html
Story last modified Sat Oct 01 15:41:00 PDT 2005
While some people worried about privacy issues, others on Saturday
praised Google's proposal to blanket San Francisco with free wireless
high-speed Internet access, saying it will help bring fast Web
connections to more people in more places for less money than they
are paying now.
Google's bid was a response to a request for proposals from San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's office to provide the service for the
nearly 750,000 residents of the city, Google spokesman Nate Tyler
confirmed on Saturday.
The proposal is limited to San Francisco, and Google does not have
any plans to expand it beyond the Bay Area, he said. Google already
is testing free wireless Web service in two locations near its
Mountain View, Calif., headquarters and is participating in a Wi-Fi
hot spot in downtown San Francisco.
It was unclear when city officials would decide whom to choose from a
group of bids, but reports said the service is expected to begin next
year.
Related story
Google bids to help San Francisco go wireless
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"It is also an opportunity to make San Francisco a test-ground for
new location-based applications and services that enable people to
find relevant information exactly when and where they need it," Tyler
said. "We anticipate that the services we develop on this network
will ultimately benefit end users and Google partners."
That prospect has some people concerned. "They will know much more
information about your activities" than they can glean from a
stationary PC, Ira Victor, managing partner for security information
firm Data Clone Labs, said in an interview.
"There are still a lot of unanswered questions, the most important
being related to privacy," wrote blogger Charles Jade on the Ars
Technica Web site. "Will Google be watching users? It's unlikely a
city like San Francisco with a large contingent of professional
protesters and unreconstructed communists would support such a
compromise, but we will know shortly."
Many others, however, said Google's involvement will shake up a
telecom industry that has been slow to react to the Internet and
reluctant to be price-conscious.
"How long before it starts deploying such networks across other major
U.S. cities? Kind of turns the ISP model of charging for Internet
access on its head. Sure, there will be a market for those who want
higher bandwidth but if what is on offer is good enough, why pay for
more?" penned blogger Simon Buckle.
"I think this approach will become more common in the future," Buckle
said. "We are moving towards a services-based model: The basic
offering is free but if you want more, whether it's bandwidth or
features, you have to pay for it."
Google could even be making waves in Congress, one blogger speculated.
"Google's move to enter the broadband access market could even impact
developments in Congress, which is considering various approaches to
a Telecom Act rewrite," wrote Mitch Shapiro on the IP & Democracy Web
site. "Among the more contentious issues addressed by various draft
bills are network neutrality, municipal broadband and privacy, all of
which are raised--and with a somewhat novel twist--by Google's Wi-Fi
proposal."
Other bloggers were pleased to hear the service would be free and
offer transmission speeds of about 300 kilobits per second, which is
much faster than traditional dial-up Internet access.
"300k for free is not bad. The next question is when does this come
to other major cities? WTG (way to go) Google!" wrote one blogger on
the Make You Go Hmm Web site.
Citizen journalism advocate Dan Gillmor concluded that the benefits
outweigh the risks.
"The word 'free' in this context is problematic. Google expects more
than incurring costs from this test bed, and it'll be keeping all
kinds of data about what people do on the network. (Yes, there's that
Google-versus-privacy question again; it just keeps coming up.)," he
wrote in his blog.
"Still, the innovation potential--or at least disruption potential--
is enormous. I'm looking forward to seeing what Google does with
this, especially in connection with its expanding voice offering.
Maybe the incumbent telecom biggies, SBC and Comcast, have something
to worry about; wouldn't that be great?" Gillmor wrote.
Google is driving innovation, which is good for the industry and
consumers, bloggers, in general, agreed.
"Google again is out in front as the most talked about tech company
making other tech companies squirm, and I, for one, welcome our new
wireless overlords," wrote Ars Technica blogger Jade.
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