Proposal: Emergency Switch Turns Private Routers into Public Resource
By Karla Robinson
August 24, 2012
August 24, 2012
- Wireless researchers in Germany want to give first responders a “switch” to disable security mechanisms on private wireless routers. The project is aimed at bolstering public communications if they were to fail in an emergency.
- “This would allow first responders to use all the routers within range to enhance the capabilities of the mesh networks that allow them to communicate with each other,” Ars Technica explains. “In a mesh network, each node or device can route traffic to the other devices on the network through a series of hops. Adding devices (in this case wireless routers) thus improves the network’s stability and performance.”
- The technology would not be difficult to implement on current wireless routers, especially considering many home owners already have guest networks set up.
- The research paper does not explicitly state the steps to creating this “emergency switch,” nor does it discuss how abuse of privacy will be prevented. Private wireless traffic would remain private “in theory,” Ars Technica writes, adding “we think this particular idea could raise more problems than it solves.”
- “From a privacy standpoint, we think it should be voluntary on the part of users, if it is ever implemented at all,” the article states, noting that it’s useless for the government if not widely accepted. “Deploying the system widely might require intrusive legislation, and software upgrades by router manufacturers that forcibly take away users’ administrative control is something we’re not a fan of, either.”
- The paper says many aspects of the proposal will still need to be researched, but it does show that using private routers would greatly improve network performance if emergency communications breakdown.
- One reader who commented on the post suggests making the program opt-in with rewards like tax credits to incentivize adoption.
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