Public Wi-Fi disclaimer

[naimcohen]

Hi all,

From the help of you guys on the forum I am successfully using monowall as a captive portal in a few hotels I manage and it’s all going well.

I am in the process of getting custom landing pages made up and it got me thinking.

Do I need a disclaimer somewhere on the page stating the usual terms and condition of public wifi use? I've google'd around but cannot find such text I can put onto the page...

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

This is for use in the UK if it makes a difference.

Thanks

 

[sygyzy]

This is really unprofessional but why don't you go to the local Starbucks or McDonalds or another hotel, login to their public wifi and copy and paste their ToS into a document. Then tweak it to your needs.

A better answer is to have legal draft it up but something tells me you probably don't have a legal department.

 

[Subyman]

A better answer is to have legal draft it up but something tells me you probably don't have a legal department.

If he's doing this type of work, I'd hope he'd have access to legal counsel. I'd do what sygyzy said, go to another public access point and copy what they have, but before you post it I'd would definitely have a lawyer look it over.

 

[naimcohen]

Thanks for the reply. I did think of that but then I thought that there must be a standard document somewhere with the ToS written out but it's just a case of me finding it.

You're right I don't have a legal department unfortunately, but if what you said to do is legal than I guess I'll have to do that...but is it legal?

Thanks

 

[sygyzy]

Are you asking if it's legal to copy someone else's ToS? Or are you asking if the document you create as a ToS will be legally binding if it's not vetted by a lawyer? I think both are of a concern. Let's be honest here, most people that write ToS's for small companies (like yours) only do it so it looks "official." Heck, I've seen bad cut and paste jobs from MAJOR companies in their ToS's, where they even leave in the name of a different company.

I think if you stick to a ToS that is uses pretty simple language - "You are allowed to use our internet as long as you are a guest, you cannot use it to conduct criminal activities, we are not liable for anything you do or that happens to you, etc etc" I think you are ok. If you don't understand what you are copying, don't use it.

 

[Subyman]

Thanks for the reply. I did think of that but then I thought that there must be a standard document somewhere with the ToS written out but it's just a case of me finding it.

You're right I don't have a legal department unfortunately, but if what you said to do is legal than I guess I'll have to do that...but is it legal?

Thanks

I haven't heard of people copyrighting their ToS's, but I'm constantly surprised by lawsuits.

 

[naimcohen]

Yeah fair enough. Ofcourse I understand what I'm reading but just wanted to make sure it wasn't too much of a big deal. I see lots of people copying but doesn't mean its ok.

Ill find something generic and modify it slightly and get my lawyer friends to look it over. I thought since lots of people create hotspots it would have been more freely available.

Anyway, thanks!