Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 47 total)
  • "The law requires us to know who is using our wifi"
  • ohnohesback
    Free Member

    So says the connection page of a a well known national coffee chain. So with a pseudonym, DOB, and an invented postcode I managed to connect without blurting my personal details.

    It’s all bollo actually. The coffee shop next door allows you to connect without this hassle but theirs was down, leaving me no alternative but to use this network. McDo also asked for my personal info citing the same reason when I tried a walk-by wurdling there, and ASDA go a step further by wanting your mobile number.

    If this is a straw in the wind I’ll need to create a few more alternate personas.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    Keep fighting the power, fella.

    Drac
    Full Member

    Just make the details up that’s all I do.

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    kennyp
    Free Member

    Stick it to ’em buddy. These multinationals will be quaking in their boots when word gets round that it’s possible to use a different name on the Interweb. Can’t believe nobody has thought of this before.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    It’s their Wi-Fi, so presumably they can ask you to provide anything they seem useful, as part of their terms. You don’t have to accept.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    Don’t go into well known coffee chains. Use your mobile phone as a mobile Wifi device.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    Your not real anyway, just an imaginary wobble in the vortex of space.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    What are you doing that you dont want to use your real name?

    To be completely honest here Junkyard is not my real name 😉

    Really not sure why you care tbh- is there an actual reason?

    EDIT: Sorry that is not meant to sound dismissive is there some security or data storage or other reason that you are concerned?

    Northwind
    Full Member

    stumpy01 – Member

    It’s their Wi-Fi, so presumably they can ask you to provide anything they seem useful, as part of their terms

    Yah but saying “the law requires it” is bullshitty (assuming it’s not true, which surely is the case).

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    id hate to be the guy with bob@hotmail.com

    thats my default for these places.

    hooli
    Full Member

    Never leave the house, when you do wear a tin foil hat 😉

    My other suggestion is rather got to the pub

    Drac
    Full Member

    Are you happy to share your real name, DOB and post code to just anyone Junkyard?

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    Think it technically is the law (an EU one). UK seemed to bend over more than many countries. Some went from totally open to selling wifi tokens. Some have gone back to completely free again (Austrian, Dutch and Italian hotels certainly – they probably hide the cost in the room cost, and just log everyone as checking in as “was given internet access”).

    edit: if it’s a login page that’s going to send me an SMS and/or pay, then in general I don’t bother. If it’s an email only, I’ll use an alt.

    MSP
    Full Member

    Really not sure why you care tbh- is there an actual reason?

    I tend to avoid using my real details for such things, just to avoid spam.

    kennyp
    Free Member

    Mods, can we get this thread deleted? Most of us are perfectly law abiding people but if criminals and this and word gets round that it’s easy to use a false name online then the whole integrity of the Internet could be undermined. Bit irresponsible of the OP to suggest it I’d say.

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    I think they are slightly ahead of the game there 😉

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    bob@h*tmail.com

    Niiiice, normally I use: imadork@h*tmail.com

    Jamie
    Free Member
    molgrips
    Free Member

    is there some security or data storage or other reason that you are concerned?

    If there is, he needs a VPN or he’s an idiot and breaking his company rules.

    I always thought identifying yourself was in case you used the network to do anything dodgy. If you’ve ‘logged in’ then the shop can show that whatever bad thing was done by a customer and not them.

    fasthaggis
    Full Member

    I use frothing@hotmail.com for coffee shops.

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    remember to change the MAC addy for the WiFi port too if you want to do anything particularly dodgy (easyish in Linux, not too difficult in win7)

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    DRac are you tring to send me a Birthday present 😉
    I missed the DOB part and I retract my point 😳
    Apologies
    I regularly [ for work and personally ] give my e-mail and phone though – the later being sent a pin code to access the service.

    Actually I am not sure why I care about giving my DOB but for some reason i do

    danielgroves
    Free Member

    I tend to use spam@danielgroves.net when signing up for things.

    shermer75
    Free Member

    When it used to be just email I used my my real address but now I also just make stuff up. I felt like it was a bit too much to ask, especially when it’s so easy at other places.

    Pigface
    Free Member

    To be completely honest here Junkyard is not my real name

    Whaaaaaaaaaaat so your are not Jean-Luc Unkyard

    aracer
    Free Member

    camerond@parliament.uk FTW

    Personally I work on the principle that the less I give away any of my personal details the better, which is why I also have several working e-mail addresses without any link to my real self.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    I use fred@fred.com whenever I’m asked for an email address…..

    It’s all bollo actually.

    Yep, there’s no requirement to know who is on a wifi network….

    miketually
    Free Member

    For years I used the same made up postcode when entering random data as demo stuff for my students, our standard town opening with 12 AB at the end – like **1 2AB.

    Then we moved house, to that postcode 🙂

    maccruiskeen
    Full Member

    I use frothing@hotmail.com for coffee shops.

    you do? dammit, I’ll have to think of something else then

    Her_Majestys_Revenue_and_Customs@starbucks.com maybe

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I use stuff like go@away.com

    whatnobeer
    Free Member

    They are providing a service to you and want to know who you so they’re getting something in return, TANSTAAFL etc.

    You’re right though, why hide behind legalese when you could be honest about why they want your data. Ah, yeah, I can think of a few reasons.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Make it so 😉

    aracer
    Free Member

    Well clearly there is if you refuse to play their game.

    I should point out that I’ve never used the wifi in a national coffee chain, but the free wifi at the holiday places we go plays the same game.

    brassneck
    Full Member

    I always thought identifying yourself was in case you used the network to do anything dodgy. If you’ve ‘logged in’ then the shop can show that whatever bad thing was done by a customer and not them.

    This. We make visitors to our offices make similar registration to use the internet access (which is still filtered anyway).
    It doesn’t stop people making stuff up but it does demonstrate you at least tried I suppose. You’re not supposed to use someone elses birth certificate for proof of identity either, but that happens often enough.

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    Think it was the EU directive on data retention. Every country implemented it slightly differently (Italy was very strict, iirc, effectively requiring passport or national ID).

    whatnobeer
    Free Member

    Well clearly there is if you refuse to play their game.

    Well, yeah, obviously, but a giant chain like Starbucks isn’t going to miss the chance to run analytics or sell your data etc if it can. The wifi is only ‘free’ if you provide fake details.

    aracer
    Free Member

    Which is why you give fake details (one reason).

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Why does it matter if Starbucks know I go there?

    I have a loyalty card, but I don’t receive any emails except to give me my free drinks.

    It doesn’t stop people making stuff up but it does demonstrate you at least tried I suppose.

    Exactly – they probably don’t care if someone hacks into the Pentagon from the Starbucks round the corner, but they don’t want to be held liable for any part of it, so they shift the blame from them to you – as in, we asked you fair and square and you are the one who lied.

    CountZero
    Full Member

    Don’t go into well known coffee chains. Use your mobile phone as a mobile Wifi device.

    Both of those are sometimes not an option.
    I always use a small, independent coffee shop in town, which doesn’t have wifi. The O2 shop the other side of the passageway into the precinct has free wifi, but it’s a) very low powered, and drops out with annoying regularity, and b), is annoyingly nanny-ish, censoring websites for seemingly random reasons.
    I was therefore delighted to discover that Natwest Bank, the other side of the high street, has a much more powerful wifi, that doesn’t come over all nanny-state, and didn’t require any more personal info than most other free wifi sources.
    Worth checking to see if there’s a handy branch nearby.

    ohnohesback
    Free Member

    You can get past the nanny filter by using Orbot and Orweb.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 47 total)

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