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Airplane Internet Access May Come with Censorship

Airborne Internet Access May Come with Censorship

Long flights are boring places. Even if you pack a book (or 200), a portable video game system, and a magazine or three, at some point you're bound to get bored of all your available options and want something else to do. With the promise of mid-air Internet access, you could be downloading new stuff or just playing online games whenever you exhaust your carry-on entertainment reserves. But, a debate is growing over whether airborne travelers should be allowed to surf anything they like, or whether their access should be locked down tighter than the PCs at an elementary school library.

The argument is over whether people can be expected to act responsibly with their computer usage online. Will people take the opportunity to make loud, tasteless VOIP (as in calls via Skype or similar services) phone-calls and disturb the entire cabin? Will lonely businessmen start perusing adult sites while sitting in coach class next to unwilling participants who'd rather not see their naughty content of choice? The AP's take is that all this and worse will be happening; people will be doing all sorts of lewd and uncivilized acts with their Wi-Fi connections. However, Ars Technica has a much more realistic perspective, likening mid-air Internet access to what you'd find at any Starbucks; people working quietly and in general not disturbing anyone else.

What's your take? Will Internet access from flights make long journeys better or more irritating?

From Slashdot, AOL Money & Finance, Ars Technica

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