p2p news / p2pnet:- Google wants to hook San Francisco up with a free Wi-Fi service, “creating a springboard for the online search engine leader to leap into the telecommunications industry,” says the Associated Press. And with that in mind, it’s filed an application, “that would enable anyone in San Francisco to connect to the Internet”.

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom wants someone to pay for a free wireless network, “to lower the financial barriers to Internet access in his city,” says AP.

It goes on that Google is one of more than a dozen other bidders and if it’s selected, “it would provide a testing ground for a national WiFi service - something that many industry observers believe the company is pondering as a way to ensure people can connect to its search engine anytime, from just about anywhere”.

The story also points out that Google recently bought into Current Communications Group, a Maryland startup that’s “trying to provide high-speed connections through power lines”.

“Offering free WiFi service could pay off for Google if the greater access gives the company more opportunities to field search requests and ultimately serve up more advertising - the vehicle that provides virtually all of its profits,” says AP, adding:

“A Google WiFi service also could divert traffic from many popular Web sites, including Yahoo, MSN and AOL, if it’s set up to automatically make Google’s home page the first stopping point.”

Google recently launched Google Secure Access which it describes as a “downloadable client application that allows users to establish a more secure WiFi connection”.

But, says Inside Google, Google wants “another crack at your entire internet traffic” through the Google Secure Access client.

Routing massive net traffic through Google’s servers “is a huge financial undertaking,” says Inside Google.

“And in any situation, you must always follow the money. Since the program and service is free the only conclusion is that Google is trying, once again, to get its hands on all of your internet traffic for data collection purposes.”

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See:-
Associated Press - Google bids to offer WiFi in San Francisco, October 2, 2005
secure WiFi connection - Google Secure Access, September 21, 2005

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 2nd, 2005 at 3:08 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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