Ensure your Wi-Fi Hotspot service meets legal requirements

The laws of many countries require that a business providing an Internet service for the public (Wi-Fi Hotspot) must take steps to maintain a log of persons using that hotspot.

This means requesting the user to provide information and in addition, storing information about the users computer and the software on the computer.

The United States has a law called CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, http://transition.fcc.gov/calea/) that requires Wi-Fi Hotspot operators to maintain a log of people and computers using the Internet service.

The EU has similar legal requirements for Wi-Fi Hotspot providers. The laws of other countries vary but most require public Internet usage to be logged permitting authorities to track Internet users when necessary.

All Guest Internet Hotspot gateways provide a means of logging each Internet user and recording the log as an email file. The user is requested to provide personal information, which may or may not be accurate. The type of computer, MAC address and type of software browser is also logged.

The hotspot login screen has an option to request up to three data items from a person using the hotspot. The user’s response, together with the information about the computer is logged in a file and then sent to the hotspot owner via an email account.

The information provided by the user may not be accurate, however the information about the computer is logged and can be used by authorities to track a person of interest.