User concerns with personal routers used as public Wi-fi hotspots

Abstract

Cable companies and Internet Service Providers have begun to offer public wifi hotspots run through customers' in-home wireless routers. This greatly expands the number of hotspots a company can offer, but it is often done with out the consent of the customers and sometimes without informing them that it is happening. This has led to a range of privacy and security concerns among the customers whose routers are used. In this paper, we analyze 501 online comments posted to news stories about this practice to develop a taxonomy of user concerns and identify their frequency. We found only about 19% of comments were unconcerned about the practice. Of those concerned, over 40% believed the practice was a violation of autonomy. Worries about quality of service impacts were similarly common. Issues of trust, legal liability, deceptive practices, and power were also quite common. We present these results and offer a discussion of the implications.