Racist Wi-Fi names are considered a hate crime.

[waggy]

In today's world where its common to see wireless access points advertised, I would think that just like any type of radio broadcast, some kind of rules should apply to what you advertise. If its illegal to connect to someone's wifi without their permission, even if its open, I can't see how having inappropiate broadcast network names should be acceptable either.

that really depends. a business? or goverment owned one? yeah

a personal broadcast? if a idiot wants to be a racist idiot and call his whatever he has that right.

 

[911paramedic]

So you can do this across from a Jewish campus (its those Westborough Baptists "God Hates Fags" church) and get away with it, but a name of a wi-fi router is going to get you accused of a hate crime?

I think it's pretty stupid to give your router a name like that, but if you're stupid enough to think it can't be tracked, well...

tl;dr Hate crime, no. Ignorant, yes.

 

[911paramedic]

OK, how is this ok then?

f**kj**s.com is Taken
Record created on: 1999-07-25 18:31:10 UTC
Record modified on: 2011-08-19 02:09:18 UTC
Record expires on: 2012-07-25 UTC

f**kn***rs.com is Taken
Registrar: NAMESDIRECT
Domain Name: F*********S.COM
Created on: 18-JUL-99
Expires on: 18-JUL-12
Last Updated on: 22-JUL-11

I think a domain is much more visible than an ssid, at least you need to be within range to see an ssid name.

 

[brianmanahan]

ib4tban

 

[BladeVenom]

One step closer to 1984.

 

[OverVolt]

OK, how is this ok then?

f**kj**s.com is Taken
Record created on: 1999-07-25 18:31:10 UTC
Record modified on: 2011-08-19 02:09:18 UTC
Record expires on: 2012-07-25 UTC

f**kn***rs.com is Taken
Registrar: NAMESDIRECT
Domain Name: F*********S.COM
Created on: 18-JUL-99
Expires on: 18-JUL-12
Last Updated on: 22-JUL-11

I think a domain is much more visible than an ssid, at least you need to be within range to see an ssid name.

Because a black lady complained loudly about it.

Wish I was an older black lady.

 

[IcePickFreak]

I bet if it was simply named "Fuck You All!" it wouldn't be news, and wouldn't be a hate crime (or as they call it in the article "bias crime") because, you know, a simple fuck you isn't hateful.

 

[rh71]

lol wtf? jail time for naming your WIFI something frowned upon?

I don't agree with jail time but it was in a rec center... a "business" place... completely wrong.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

And yet some people here seem to think that racism is no longer an issue...

There's a difference between existing and "an issue".

 

[911paramedic]

I like this one:

Mine is "DEA Surveillance Van #32", I always liked that FBI one so I thought I'd go for it.

 

[DCal430]

First it wasn't some personal router, or even a router of some private business it was a router that was owned and used by the City. A city employee did this, this is at the very least misuses of government property.

How would you like it if you were at a city or county run airport with free WiFi, when you try to connect you find out the Airport Network Admin decided to name the free wifi as "Kill the N*gg*rs and Crackers", or if your city decided to do a city wide free WIFI only to have the free WIFI signal be named "Black Pride - Kill The Crackers". I don't think you would like it too much.

 

[DCal430]

I doubt there are any FCC laws governing wifi ssid but there are laws where you can lose your operators license for usage of hate speak or profanity on public unlicensed spectrum. I wonder if someone is trying to bend that law to include wifi ssid since it is publicly broadcast.

This is a clear 14th amendment rights issue, this is a government agency who employees are using intimidation to keep minorities away.

 

[DCal430]

This also isn't any different than if Public High school had a school song that includes references to lynching "N*gg*ers and Jews". This was a crime plain and simple.

 

[lxskllr]

A city employee did this, this is at the very least misuses of government property.

You're awfully quick with the assumptions. I guess there's no way a secure wireless network could be cracked, eh? That's why they call them secure. It's due to their infallible security.

 

[DCal430]

You're awfully quick with the assumptions. I guess there's no way a secure wireless network could be cracked, eh? That's why they call them secure. It's due to their infallible security.

If someone hacked a city own router, then it is still a crime, and incompetence on part of the city for making the router too insecure.

What is more likely someone went out of the their way hack the city router, or a racist city employee with access to the router did this.

 

[lxskllr]

If someone hacked a city own router, then it is still a crime, and incompetence on part of the city for making the router too insecure.

Yea, so what? You fix the issue, and get on with life thankful that the only damage was a vulgar SSID change. Wasting any more time on it is pointless.

 

[ShawnD1]

"It's horrifying to me that a person could hate a group of people so much that they give that name to their router....."

How does she know the person hates ANYONE?
Some people just have a sense of humor, twisted as it may be.

There was a time when my network's name was "Black People"
When I added a laptop to the network a few months later, someone had created a network called "WHITE POWER"

It almost feels like we're having some kind of conversation through our wireless names.