Marketing Agency Uses Homeless As Wi-Fi Hotspots

Posted by samzenpus on Monday March 12, 2012 @03:01AM from the some-ideas-are-better-than-others dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Marketing agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) has launched a controversial charity scheme at this year's South by Southwest festival, in which homeless people are being used to provide Wi-Fi hotspots. The project, Homeless Hotspots, seeks to address people's need for a high-speed data connection at the festival in Austin, Texas, by issuing the homeless with T-shirts that say 'I am a 4G hotspot.' Passers-by may then pay what they wish either in cash or by PayPal to get online 4G networks via the Wi-Fi device that a homeless person is carrying and the proceeds go to the Front Steps Homeless shelter in Austin."

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Re:What!? by stating_the_obvious · 2012-03-12 03:09 · Score: 5, Informative

The homeless person doesn't keep the money for the same reason that the cashier at McDonald's doesn't get to keep the money... The profits will be donated to a homeless shelter in Austin.
More info.. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-12 03:17 · Score: 5, Informative

Suggest you guys check out the actual blog post, answers a lot of the questions asked.
http://bbh-labs.com/homeless-hotspots-a-charitable-experiment-at-sxswi