The Weakest Link
I have read a number of commentators - in responses to various articles about this matter - make comments like '... you could argue that by having no encryption whatsoever, they're placing their network info in the public domain.' It's a weak argument, as any number of everyday analogies will serve to prove.
It's all too easy for those of us 'technically inclined' to scoff at 'idiots' using an open network or WEP, but doing so helps little in addressing the issues at hand. Let's not forget that some people out there are well, 'just human' after all.
Although my day-to-day job is software development I have been amazed at just how many people I have encountered on a personal level who run with open or WEP WiFi. It is quite common to be told that 'the chap advertising in the paper - who claims to be an IT expert - set up my wireless network'. More often than not, what I see on a local level, is a story that involves a self-proclaimed expert - who is in fact little more than a jobsworth monkey - being paid for providing a sub-standard service. Similarly, I often find pensioners who cannot afford to pay someone to secure their WiFi, place full trust in their equipment manufacturer. In fact this is such a common occurance, I have recently donated some of my time to securing a number of WiFi networks for pensioners for free - the kind sould that I am ;)
My point here is that it is far too easy for us 'geeks' to assume that everyone should know everything that we know. It is useless to generalise and call those running open/WEP WiFi 'idiots who deserve whatever they get'. In fact, to me, that stinks of ego and elitism. (No reference to any comments in these responses should be inferred here).
What this whole Google episode has done however, is to ferment discussion. Part of the natural discourse should now be a consideration to increase pressure on certain hardware manufacturers to 'up their game' in this respect.
Do I believe however that the 'snooping' episode was a simple oversight on the part of Google? Not for one minute! However, whether or not this was an intentional act by Google is wholy irrelevant. If they have broken laws, they should be held to account. Ignorance is no defence in a court of law. Ignorance is believing Google when they say 'Do no evil'... Yes you can make money without doing evil, but you'll make a whole lot more by doing just that ;)
Aussie police probe Google
