| Average (?) Users Most all the posts here have been from reasonably-well-informed, and/or tech-oriented people.
What we've failed to acknowledge is that we are a very, very small minority of the computer-using world.
In the "real world" of "the average computer user", the TOS is nothing more than an annoying (and very small) speed bump of an "Accept" button on the way to a higher-speed wireless-home-networking Nirvana; and in reality (REALITY: a place most lawyers don't know exists, or believe to be a myth), the paragraph, after paragraph, after eye-crossing, brain-numbing paragraph of legal-speak and techno-speak of the typical TOS or EULA is never even seen by the teeming hordes of "Average Users".
Come on... who here has ever bought a car or house?
Did you read EVERY jot and every tittle on the front and back of every form laid in front of you for your signature?
Of course, not.
And, responding to the demands of the marketplace (and its "Average Users" ...see above), Wi-Fi equipment providers have made equipment and network setup a PnP experience. (Anyone here old enough to remember trying to configure a (13.6k) dial-up modem under Windows... say 3.0?
Now, imagine your grandfather doing it.
Which brings me to my point:
In our world of 'convenience for the masses" (so as to make the internet experience available to a broader base of Users... er, consumers,) our Wi-Fi equipment providers have made the hardware installation, BY DEFAULT, to be simple AND UN-SECURED.
And then, we expect the non-techno masses to understand, care about and initiate (what we know to be appropriate, reasonable and necessary) security protocols.
Hah!
Like this is ever going to happen!
An appropriate solution might be to have an extra step programmed into the network hardware set-up routine which, after the successful network setup (verified via an "Are you happy now?" button, perhaps?), then steps the User through a security process BEFORE allowing un-restricted use of the new networking system.
This shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish.
Any measure short of a process similar to this is equivalent to allowing one to operate an automobile
without instruction on the rules of the road. |
