Originally Posted by
TRAVELSIG
The two very good cafe near my house also have wifi- although they don't advertise it and they don't give out the password all that freely. Remember in some European countries (like Italy) the laws are backwards are unclear on what data you need to collect and retain for people using your wifi network- as such a lot of small operators don't want to go through all the hassles required for an authentication system etc. The laws are changing- they take some time though to all be in alignment such that an operator can just leave their network open and free. Silly however that is the way it is.
I hope those laws are slow to change.
The café near where I live and enjoy lunching on my day off has free wifi and is often jammed with foreign students who park themselves there all day and screech loudly on Skype. Worst are the ones who bring their own take-away coffee from the place across the road and just order water.
More than once I've positioned myself so that "Mom" back home gets a nice eyeful of me scratching my hairy, pale belly in the background...