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hß · NetworksCurated

Free Wi-Fi: Freifunk volunteers provide internet for refugees

Summary

In 2015 Freifunk initiatives provided refugee accommodation in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Hanover, Dortmund and other cities with free Wi-Fi. There was often no internet connection there; the Freifunk volunteers built the infrastructure, partly using directional radio, and financed it through donations. Authorities held back because of the German “Störerhaftung” (secondary liability), which the volunteers circumvented by routing the traffic via VPN to their own provider.

Ideas

  • Volunteer networks close gaps in provision faster than administrations.
  • Directional antennas connect buildings without their own internet connection.
  • Secondary liability made operators of open Wi-Fi networks liable for their users’ legal violations.
  • A VPN tunnel moves the internet exit and with it the liability question.

Insights

  • Legal uncertainty often slows down technical solutions more than their cost.
  • Mesh networks based on OpenWrt make community networks possible without a large provider.

Facts

  • The Freifunk firmware is based on OpenWrt.
  • In Hamburg, a residential ship in the harbour was also connected.

References

Critique

  • The report describes the commitment but says little about the capacity, stability and operation of the networks.

Remarks

  • In 2017 the Bundestag largely abolished secondary liability for Wi-Fi operators.

Recommendations

  • Plan community networks with a bandwidth limit per user so that individuals do not saturate the network.
  • Strictly separate open guest networks from your own internal network.

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