Hyderabad: While plans to make Hyderabad a Wi-Fi enabled city by the year-end is a progressive move, concerns remain over the access and identification of users.
The government has said that Internet access in the first six months will be free. Experts say identification of users will be a big concern during this period. The security apparatus and logs of users who accessed Internet will also be important since the IT Act says anyone who provides Internet access to another person or group is akin to an internet cafe and is mandated to maintain logs.
Free Wi-Fi hotspots carry security concerns with data risks for the users. Interpol’s cyber-crime centre has warned that data theft over Wi-Fi networks has increased in recent times.
Cyber security expert Rakshit Tandon said, “It is important to see what kind of security and encryption system they employ. The Information Technology Act has also to be complied with and user logs also have to be maintained,” he added.
“Larger companies generally use a high level of encryption so the risk is lesser but with Wi-Fi anybody can access from anywhere so it is important they identify the user properly” said Mr Tandon.
