Marketing Agency Uses Homeless As Wi-Fi Hotspots

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."

Comments

What!?

[tmosley]

Why don't the proceeds go to the homeless person carrying around the equipment!?

Re:What!?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because the do-gooders don't trust the homeless to spend the money the "right" way, most likely.

Re:What!?

[stating_the_obvious]

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.

Re:What!?

[Luckyo]

Most likely, taxation. If you paid the person, it would be a job, meaning taxes.

Re:What!?

[ZeroSumHappiness]

That's actually a very complex question with a variety of answers. Some people are homeless because they refuse to work within a system. Some are homeless because they're addicted to drugs and alcohol to such an extent that they have ruined their lives. Some because they have mental illness that prevents them from functioning clearly in the modern world. Some because they fell on hard times and had no safety net. For the last one, yeah, they'll be reasonable and try to work within the structure to maintain a roof over their head. The other three, not so much. And if you treat them like they just need a job and a home and 2.5 kids and a dog then you won't get the results you seek.

Re:What!?

[LordLimecat]

Since when is doing something voluntarily with no coercion or pressure "slavery"?

I mean, if any of these people find the shirts oppressive and unbearable I imagine they could, you know, refuse to wear them.

Re:What!?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ooo "risking capital". Forming a limited liability company is about the least risky venture on the planet. For no other activity can one compartmentalise and get into a spiral of debt or misbehaviour while minimising personal consqeuences for debt or tort. Shareholders are even luckier, "owning" the company and creaming the profit while having no obligation to pay debtors in the company folds.

I started a business with a few thousand dollars about a decade ago. Went well. Sold it. Least risky thing I've ever done. Even if I'd invested ten times as much and e.g. mortgaged my house as security, I'd still have more protections than the average worker whose *house and everything else* are risk if he can't find a job. Even though I was working up to 18 hour days, the material rewards for succeeding as a business owner... woohoo... incomparable to every other poor sod who has to work two jobs same hours yet will enjoy a fixed pittance.

Succeeding in business is easy. Building a humane society is hard.

Not a bad idea

[cwgmpls]

It's basically an updated version of the street newspapers that homeless people have been selling for decades. Micro-business like this can be the first step and getting out of poverty.

Re:Not a bad idea

[DaMattster]

It's basically an updated version of the street newspapers that homeless people have been selling for decades. Micro-business like this can be the first step and getting out of poverty.

This is actually an excellent idea! It could be even better if it were implemented in such a way that the homeless person could eventually become their own independent business owner. It is news like this that we need to hear more often and it is very uplifting to read on a Monday morning. What if the homeless person could eventually raise enough money to buy the device and a kind of franchise right to do business as x? I disagree with using the term charity here. Charity is simply a free gift without any commitment in return. Ideas like these encourage commitment and integrity which the homless person needs to exhibit! The next step is to let them earn the money to purchase the device and become an independent business owner. This can also spur other forms of creativity on the part of the people vending the service like ways to power the devices and maybe design a rolling portable table where people can sit down for a bit. The possibilities are many

Re:trade for a bottle?

[stating_the_obvious]

All homeless people are criminals? Part of this program is about raising awareness -- and clearly you could use some awareness raising....

I fail to see why this would be a bad thing

[Hentes]

Giving jobs to those people in need instead of just some spare change is exactly the thing that can help them.

Re:I fail to see why this would be a bad thing

[LordLimecat]

Giving change I think is the WRONG sort of help. There are homeless people Im sure who would use the money well, but it seems like a self defeating proposition, not to mention dangerous:

* the more successful panhandling is, the more dishonest panhandlers there will be
* it cannot be ignored that there are many homeless people who are homeless because of drugs; in that case you would only be worsening the problem
* it could well be an attempt to get you to pull out your wallet for a quick mugging (they might not even be homeless)

If you want to help someone in a real, immediate way, and you are in a city, theres a good chance there is a diner or fast food place nearby. Invite them to lunch, get some coffee, whatever. This will address a real need, and it will be a heck of a lot safer (as youre in a highly visible place). If you have the time, sit and chat with them, as it may have been some time since someone actually talked with them.

Throwing money at them seems like a lazy, counterproductive way to address the issue.

Re:trade for a bottle?

[MickyTheIdiot]

maybe because you're making the unfounded assumption that homeless == dishonest.

More info..

[Anonymous Coward]

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

I AM A 4G HOTSPOT

[eltonito]

For some strange reason, I really want one of those T-shirts.

This will eliminate homelessness.

[Anonymous Coward]

Once all the homeless people are put in jail for the torrents that were shared on their hotspots, they won't be homeless anymore!

Hidden agenda

[dmesg0]

The wireless antennas will be placed near the reproductive organs and work at full power on as many channels as possible. All that in order to decrease the future homeless population.

Give a man a a fish

[srussia]

"So Mr. Smelly homeless person offering 4G, do you take Via, Master Card, or American Express? It's not like I carry cash around you folk."

As the saying goes:"Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to phish, and he'll clean out your bank account. "

Re:Exploitation

[Dunbal]

This is the most exploitative, ignorant, inhuman scheme I've ever heard of.

Clearly you haven't travelled much or read any history.

I don't see a problem with this.

[tehlinux]

I know when I'm on the lookout for wifi, the first place I want to bring my laptop is in an alley full of homeless people!

seems legit

[WillgasM]

I think it's perfectly reasonable. This could be a great service in larger cities and especially during events like sxsw. Have a place at the homeless shelter that maintains the equipment and keeps it charged. The homeless person just checks out a fanny pack with the equipment and gets paid upon returning it. In the meantime they go about their daily lives, except now they have a t-shirt and a gimmick. I would eliminate the cash donation part in favor of a premium text charge or being redirected to a donation page upon connecting. You could even serve up ads if that model works better for you. Apart from preventing a rash of homeless muggings, taking cash out of the equation helps eliminate any confusion over who you're giving the money to (Am I giving this homeless dude money or paying for WiFi? Feel free to give the dude a dollar if you would normally). However you do it, the donations go back to funding the program (maintaining equipment, paying the homeless), and anything left over goes to the shelter. Odds of this being profitable would be greatly improved with any advances to make the equipment cheaper and more durable. People get Wifi, a homless dude makes a little money to get by, shelters gets donations, advertisers get to slap a label on it. Everybody sounds happy to me.

Re:Mental Disability Stigma

[SuricouRaven]

Why are the infirmed and aged owed anything? If you're going for 'you get what you earn' they should just be left to starve to death or die of exposure. You appear to be allowing *just enough* compassion to appease your conscience.