just need some advice

Notes regarding project status and info

8 posts • Page 1 of 1

Postby soundhackr » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:39 pm

I just recently got into wardriving...being from the San Francisco software community many moons ago, I'm really big on the fact that if I do something...it's for the good of man...I was showing my girlfriend this site last night and talking about setting up a rig in our Prius to try and map out as much of our lovely home in pittsburgh as we can...she mentioned that before I went off on one of my lofty projects, that I should check to see what would happen to the fruits of the labor...the data

I guess my question is, if I put in data points, will they become public domian? I guess there's one or two other projects and I'm trying to decide where to put my time and I want to make sure it's for the good of the community.

Sorry I'm little newbs on this, but if anyone can help me out, I'd apprecite it...

troy

Postby uhtu » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:00 pm

the wigle dataset is copyrighted, and its use is subject to the end user license agreement. it absolutely is not public domain.

what you do with your points is your own business, of course.

whether or not anything dealing with computers is for the good of man is a much larger philosophical question; we tend to stick to mapping stuff.

Postby soundhackr » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:21 pm

cool...thnx for the clarification...

Postby soundhackr » Wed Aug 10, 2005 2:42 am

hey Uhtu (or anyone I guess)...so if the data isn't public domain, is wigle planning to sell the data at anypoint? I understand why you would want to copyright the data...but are they planning to sell it (or have they sold it)?

I just noticed some different thread with people mentioning stuff...seems like (in large quantities) it would be really useful information (on the converse, dangerous in the wrong hands...

anyone have any thoughts?

Postby uhtu » Wed Aug 10, 2005 3:27 am

you don't need a commercial use for something to be copyrighted.

the FAQ covers our stance on licensing of the data.

there's nothing in wigle that can't be found out in the wild (since that's where it was all found); i think to allude to the dataset as dangerous is disingenuous.

Postby soundhackr » Wed Aug 10, 2005 3:45 pm

i think to allude to the dataset as dangerous is disingenuous.
agreed...I was playing on the notion that information in the wrong hands would always be dangerous...I wasn't inferring anything toward you...

After reviewing the FAQ however, I think it's a little suspect that there is being a community created where people are encouraged to donate information and then no one really discloses what's done with the information...I guess it's part of the end user agreement, so users should understand what's going on...but it also seems to be a topic that's a little glossed over...

care to comment?

Postby uhtu » Wed Aug 10, 2005 4:07 pm

wigle.net has been quite an entertaining hobby for most everyone involved for the last nearly four years, despite the occasional troll. we provide excellent, snappy, and sometimes even friendly service for alot of people who enjoy observing the spread of wireless technology. if you don't want to play, that's fine.

you're more than welcome to go elsewhere with your bridge-dwelling while we get back to drawing stuff on maps.

Postby arkasha » Wed Aug 10, 2005 5:31 pm

The thing to understand about WiGLE is that we're first-and-foremost software guys. This project is a testbed for our wacko ideas. We started it in order to experiment with cartography, to provide a point of comparison (and competition) for the wardriving community, and to help raise awareness about wireless network security. Users may choose to designate their points for commercial usage. If they don't decide, or decide not to, we will not use those points for any commercial opportunity that may arise.

WiGLE as a project allows people to visualize and browse through all the information provided by users, but binds people by the EULA when they do it, which states that the information they're browsing may not be used for commercial purposes. The list of points people have designated for commercial usage is a subset of the total set of data that anyone can poke through. We support people doing random research with the data, satisfying their curiosity regarding wireless networking technology, or just bathing in the gobs of information.

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