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Wi-Fi User Protection Bill in California

Internet access gear manufacturers are now required to warn consumers of the risks of using unsecured wireless connections, according to California`s state assembly`s bill. The "Wi-Fi User Protection Bill" was unanimously accepted by both houses` legislators. Now the users will be informed how to secure networks against "piggybacking," or unauthorized sharing of wireless access, said a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who proposed the bill.

Most Wi-Fi users ignore security options when setting up wireless gear and expose their computer networks to public view. Leaving connections open allows nearby residents or occasional passersby to share this wireless access. Paul Debeasi, a wireless industry analyst says: "The question is, can we legislate away consumer idiocy?"

"On the face of it, it`s like cautioning the coffee drinker that the beverage is hot," said another Wi-Fi industry analyst. "It seems like a solution in search of a problem." Every year millions more consumers in the United States and worldwide buy Wi-Fi routers in order to turn home broadband cable or telephone links into wireless links, providing Internet access to any computer in the nearby vicinity. The bill now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who must sign it before it goes into law.