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I'm all for open Wi-Fi networks but I'm not quite sure how it's a "tragedy of the commons". People locking their Wi-Fi network aren't harming other users of the
by zwieback 16y ago
I'm all for open Wi-Fi networks but I'm not quite sure how it's a "tragedy of the commons". People locking their Wi-Fi network aren't harming other users of the RF spectrum, which is the common resource. The resource being locked out is the telco's backhaul, which isn't really a commons, is it?
- awakeasleep 16y agoI think that's the point being made here. Access to extra bandwidth everywhere, all the time, could be a commons for all of us, with the appropriate legal and software protections.
- phirephly 16y agoRF isn't the commons they're talking about. The commons is the open access points that people would come by and torrent / download kiddie porn through. People abused open access points, so everyone started closing them.
- Groxx 16y agoPeople abused open access points, so telcos started going after the hosts, not the abusers, so everyone started closing them. Then there's also Firesheep. But that's just a cherry on top, really.
- Cushman 16y agoThe resource is internet access everywhere. Everyone benefits from open wifi, but any individual benefits by locking down their own wifi. So everyone locks down their own wifi, and nobody has internet access, and we're all worse off. I'm not sure it's a tragedy of the commons per se, but it's a collective action problem of one sort or another.