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Italy Quake Rescuers Ask Locals To Unlock Their Wi-Fi (bbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the technology-barrier dept.

Rescue teams searching for earthquake survivors in central Italy have asked locals to unlock their Wifi passwords. The Italian Red Cross says residents' home networks can assist with communications during the search for survivors, reports BBC. From the report: On Wednesday a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck central Italy and killed more than 240 people. More than 4,300 rescuers are looking for survivors believed to still be trapped in the rubble. On Twitter, the Italian Red Cross posted a step-by-step guide which explains how local residents can switch off their Wifi network encryption. Similar requests have been made by the National Geological Association and Lazio Region. A security expert has warned that removing encryption from a home Wifi network carries its own risks, but added that those concerns are trivial in the context of the rescue operation.

7 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. Trivial??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And yet if something illegal happens on the WiFi, will the govt ignore it?

    This is a horrible idea, sorry. The govt should bring in WiFi hotspots, and not put locals at risk.

    1. Re:Trivial??? by idji · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The citizens will have an open network up in minutes. The government will take days, while people die under rubble.

    2. Re:Trivial??? by bfpierce · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This is in the Italian country side up in the mountains currently in ruins, super difficult to get to even before an earth quake cut off most of the routes.

      Do you tin foil hat wearers actually think the 'criminals' are going to all of a sudden walk up there in droves when they can just as easily drive around Rome looking for unlocked wi-fi to do their 'terrible cyber crimes'?

  2. Yes and No by IonOtter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Create a "guest access" account on the router and allow that? Absolutely! No problem with that at all, especially since I can log who connects.

    Remove all security and just turn my connection (and all liability in a nation not known for being especially scrupulous with it's accusations of wrong-doing) over to the whims of chaos?

    No.

    Sorry, but better to not expose myself to that kind of risk, than have to fight my way out of kangaroo court.

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    [End Of Line]
    1. Re: Yes and No by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You are some asshole. Do you really think that the people in the region, and all the people flooding in to help, as well as those trapped under the rubble or being treated outdoors because the hospital is unsafe, are going to kill their devices battery by surfing kiddie porn or streaming movies? How many chargers do you think the shelters have?

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  3. Why wouldn't you? by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I mean seriously? Why wouldn't you? I've read a heap of the comments about how insane you would have to be and all the legal risk you would be at but we're not talking about leaving it permanently unsecured, we are talking about a short period of time during a national emergency where people around you are buried under collapsed buildings!!

    Christ I get it, you have you NAS full of your super sensitive material, well turn the fucking thing off then. This is slashdot ffs, are you seriously telling me that you don't have the capability to turn off a computer you don't want someone to access?

    People are dying, infrastructure has been damaged. Who knows what state their mobile network is in, perhaps it's not possible to bring in wifi hotspots.

    The chances that if all people unsecure their wifis that your connection will even get used is pretty small. The chances yours gets used by a malicious actor is vanishingly small. The chances that your open wifi saves a life is also tiny, however it might. So I just don't get why someone wouldn't be willing to take on a little, essentially insignificant, risk if it might save someone.

    If an earthquake or similar disaster happens near me, not only would I happily open my network, but I would be out there trying to physically help people, so I could just turn everything off for a couple of days as I'm not using it. Maybe I'm the strange one.

    1. Re:Why wouldn't you? by Harlequin80 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because just maybe it could save someone. Because the person buried under the rubble was playing pokemon go and carrying at 16000mah battery pack. Because maybe the person has been turning their phone on for 5 minutes then turning it off when they have no signal. Because maybe the emergency workers in you area might be able to use it to communicate back to base where as for what ever other reason they couldn't have.