NYCLU Demands Tighter Privacy Protections For City's Public Wifi

[HardOCP News]

There is one surefire way to avoid having your information collected and used by New York City’s free municipal wi-fi...don't use it. It really is as simple as that. Don't like the terms of service? Don't use it. Problem solved.

However, in a letter publicized today, the NYCLU takes issue with language in the policy that says the company will make only "reasonable attempts" to let users know when law enforcement agencies request their information. Likewise, the policy says the company will store user info for 12 months after one's last login, meaning it could be retained indefinitely so long as one uses the kiosks periodically. Asked about a segment of the policy that refers to CityBridge making only "reasonable attempts" to inform users of law enforcement requests for information, the spokeswoman said that this simply means that the company will reach out using the email provided at login.

 

[TechLarry]

This is starting to sound like one big advertising data collection campaign.

 

[the-one1]

When it's free, the user is not the customer, they are the product.

 

[pewter77]

Setup a VPN at your home address or buy access to one if you want to use public wifi.

 

[Osirus]

Give people stuff for free and they still complain. Pathetic.