Add FAQ page (in particular, security, privacy, and the mesh)

[bennlich]

We got some great questions talking to tenants at a new potential install location:

• How will it impact our internet use (eg. speed, possibility of dropped access/having to re-boot) short-term? Long-term?
• What is the risk of EMF radiation?
• Where will the antennas go? Who maintains them? What happens to them when we replace our roof in a few years?
• Is there any security risk? eg. Are we liable for any content that runs over the network?
• How safe/encrypted is this network?
• What are the benefits to the building? To our neighborhood?
• What are the building tenants' responsibilities for maintaining the antennas? What's the plan if People's Open dissolves? What happens if there's a conflict or change of plans between People's Open and the building? aka how do we resolve conflict, like if new tenants move in and don't want the antennas here anymore?

Let's make an FAQ page that answers these questions and more. I want to expand on the security/privacy question too. We should be clear that:

1) the mesh is not intended to be an encryption/obfuscation service (like, say, the Tor network) 2) that you are relying on the neighbors to whom you're connected to route your packets 3) that the HTTPS protocol still makes the same guarantees about your privacy that it would with a normal ISP (i.e. the content of your traffic is encrypted, but not the source or destination ip)

Since part of our mission is education, I think it would also make sense to talk a little bit about security on the normal Internet, the anatomy of an IP packet, etc. (I.e. explain security from first-ish principles.)

Some of this could involve some fun research. E.g. I'm not sure off the top of my head what a packet looks like traveling from an exitnode to the Internet.

Please correct me if I got any of the above wrong!

[eenblam]

Questions from @kaldari during meeting:

Ryan's question list: Q1: Why do we need a mesh network? (this question is on the website, but it never gets answered) Leslie: Digital divide (tons of people who don't have internet access, and this could provide access to more people), no central hub (disaster resilience--can communicate with neighbors) Ryan: so, 40% of Oakland doesn't have internet, and we could address that. Also, it would improve our resilience. * juul: Gives people a way to control means of communication. **jnny - from 'about' - "We are building a decentralized, libre network for the East Bay: we believe in the creation of local internets and locally-relevant applications, the cultivation of community-owned telecommunications networks in the interest of autonomy and grassroots community collaboration, and ultimately, in owning the means of production by which we communicate." Q2: What are the benefits of joining the network? * Lesley: If there's a disaster, you can communicate with your neighbors and contribute to a more democratic means of communication. Mai: access to bandwidth, abililty to connect through neighbors if something happens to your WAN connection, mesh services Ryan: To summarize: disaster-proof communication, and democratizing communication benny: excuse to build community with your neighbors over shared infrastructure jenny - share connections throughout an apartment ** ryan - so, saving money. That's compelling ** sierk - While we're still building it, we don't get all the benefits. So, the website is meant to reflect what's actually there right now. We could be a bit more ambitious about what the benefits will be if we make clear what the benefits are now and where they could go. juul - Regarding ethical/values-based reasons: it's the difference between paying someone for access to the internet or being a part of the internet yourself. On the mesh, you own a part of the infrastructure, and your neighbors do, too. You own a part of the internet together. ryan - Summary: you will get to collaborate with your neighbors on building grassroots infrastructure. mai - by controlling the network yourself, you can foster digital commons with the people you live close to. Being close to your neighbor is a precondition to collectively owning certain things/infrastructure. * marc - plays into the theme of the omni commons -- everything here is an alternative to a private infrastructure. every time you join one of the collectives here, you become independent with regard to a new sector of your life. * Also, you get to share your internet in a safe way* that protects you from the people you're sharing with. Q3: Can I get internet access through the mesh network? * (Kinda already answered, depending on what you mean by "internet" and "access") tl;dr: You can*, if you are near a node, but you probably aren't. * Q4: Do I need to pay anything to join the network? jenny - a home router is $20, an extender node on the roof is maybe $80. We ask for a donation in that ballpark if possible, but we also have grant money for that. We also ask folks for a recurring donation patreon. * not a for-profit model - donations would be on the level of a membership to a nonprofit, recurring via eg Patreon ( https://patreon.com/peoplesopennet ) * Q5: Who pays for the bandwidth? juul - Some donated. It's also so close to free that it doesn't matter - what does cost money is the last mile. If we can get that access and split it, it's something like $1-2 a month for participants. Ryan: Sumary: A lot is donated (~30 gigabits), Internet Archive, Paxio. Whoever wants to add bandwidth from their existing ISP subscription can do so. Q6: Is this legal? juul - in the US it is. benny - what's illegal elsewhere? juul - some countries don't allow you to share bandwidth without logging - you essentially have to be an ISP ** your shared bandwidth is tunneled through our VPN - so any illegal activities (eg torrenting copyrighted materials) can be conducted over the open network and not traced to your connection

[kaldari]

Here were my notes:

Why do we need a mesh network? 40% of Oakland doesn’t have internet access, this could provide access to more people. Reduces dependence on commercial ISPs and provides better resilience to the network in our community.

What are the benefits of joining? Disater-proof communication, contributing to more democratic system of communication. Build infrastructure with your neighbors. You could save money by sharing bandwidth. Sierk - more control over what the price is, and what you get for it. While we're still building it, you don't get all the benefits right now Marc - two aspects, practical, day-to-day and ethical - it's the difference between paying someone for access to the internet owned by corporations, it's about being part of the internet. While corporations can block you from their part of the internet, you can own your own part of the internet with your nieghbors. Mai - building a digital commons with your neighbors, e.g. open data, local wikipedia, build alternatives to Facebook, etc., protect your privacy Marc - you get to share your internet in a safe way

Can I get internet access through the mesh network? Yes, maybe.

Do I need to pay anything to join the network? No. But if you're able to you should (buy equipment). If they do pay, it's not to make profit, but to build out the system.

Who pays for the bandwidth? A lot is donated. Internet Archive and Paxio (in the future)? And whoever wants to add bandwidth from their existing ISP connection can donate that.

Is this legal? In the U.S. it is, but not in all countries due to being considered an ISP. Donating your bandwidth might violate your terms of service with your ISP though.

[kaldari]

Maybe the Docs page could be converted into an FAQ page.

[kaldari]

I started a rough draft at https://peoplesopen.net/pad/p/faq. Please help flesh it out more!

[jnny]

The FAQ I wrote in our proposal to LOLspace / Liberate 23rd Ave:

How will it impact our internet use (eg. speed, possibility of dropped access/having to re-boot) short-term? Long-term? In the short term: You choose how much bandwidth you’re willing to share with the public network (eg; 10%) and any network issues would be the same as current - attributable to your ISP. The mesh can enable you to drop to all but one ISP subscription in the building, residents will have the password to the private SSID, and the building as a whole can save significant moneys.

In the long term: We are working with the Internet Archive and Paxio (a local ISP) to get gigabits of donated bandwidth fed into the network - meaning that once the infrastructure is in place, you can eliminate your current ISP subscription and roll with truly free high-speed WiFi!

What is the risk of EMF radiation? Cellphones radiate exponentially more EMF than WiFi routers.

Where will the antennas go? Who maintains them? What happens to them when we replace our roof in a few years? Two node mount locations: one pointing to The Village (southwest side of building) and one pointing to the hills (exact location TBD - north side of building). Nodes consist of Ubiquiti routers such as these:

Dimensions: 6.46 x 2.83 x 7.83" (left) and 6.3” x 3.15” x 1.18” (right)

...which are powered over ethernet cable that would be run to home nodes (routers) that look like this:

We intend to be around for a long while, and our volunteers will happily maintain the nodes - and teach you how as well (see https://peoplesopen.net/workshop)! We can coordinate with you to remove and store them in the eventuality of rooftop repairs.

Is there any security risk? eg. Are we liable for any content that runs over the network? How safe/encrypted is this network? No network is in an of itself secure - as we like to say, “Never trust the network!” It’s up to end users to practice good “security hygiene” - eg; using HTTPS for encrypting their web browser traffic, encrypted email and Signal for secure communications, etc. We would love to coordinate a hands-on digital security workshop to train anyone interested in learning more about the topic.

Traffic over the open public ssid (peoplesopen.net) is routed through a server run by Sudo Mesh, so we handle any copyright notices or DMCA takedown requests. Residents and collective members will have access to a private SSID with full bandwidth allotted.

What are the benefits to the building? To our neighborhood? Only one ISP subscription would be needed in the building, as the signal would be distributed throughout and out to the sidewalk and backyard. Shared open Wi-Fi for all who can see the signal. Resilient communications infrastructure in the event of censorship or a disaster.

What are the building tenants' responsibilities for maintaining the antennas? What's the plan if People's Open dissolves? What happens if there's a conflict or change of plans between People's Open and the building? aka how do we resolve conflict, like if new tenants move in and don't want the antennas here anymore? The equipment will be owned entirely by the organizing body of Liberate 23rd Ave. How you resolve any conflicts is entirely up to you :)

[bennlich]

@kaldari Docs -> FAQ sounds good to me. It looks to me like the current docs page is like a very minimal FAQ anyway.

[paidforby]

Created an FAQ page during restructure in e48c8038ec2b0a7a1fc067ed3c9e5c0d29301e22, https://peoplesopen.net/learn/faqs/, but I just moved the content previously at "Docs." The info compiled during last months meeting needs to be edited and put in its place.

[jnny]

Updated FAQ page based on these previous replies.

[bennlich]

🐑 da 💣