I never think about internet security and privacy that much to be honest. But an email conversation with my landlady changed my view on this matter completely. The situation is just too funny, outrageous and a little bit scary, so I need to share it with you all!
Since my partner and I arrived in Barcelona we have been having quite an interesting time with our landlady. Over the past few months we’ve been living above a building site. The work was meant to be completed in January and we’re already half way through March and I can’t see the works being completed any time soon.
Hence I got in touch with our landlady to enquire about the aforementioned noise, which in turn reminded her to ask for a favour from our end.
I will just copy and past now, thinking about it makes me laugh so hard, I have tears rolling down my cheeks, whilst I am quite astounded how this can be real. I am also going to leave the names in, because the reader audience is mainly English speaking and I just need to keep them in there for effect.
Here it goes.
Internet security, we need no stinking internet privacy
Starring:
1) Landlady: Elena
2) Tenant: Feli
3) The all around handyman: Mr. Salas
4) Internet technician: Carlos Grau
- 1st Email - Landlady to me (Feli):
Hi Felicitas
There will be days with noise and another with less but they are working everyday to be able to finish soonest!.
I wanted to contact you because we would need to go to your flat to make a connection between your rooter and the flats below that will share the connection. Tell us please when it would be convenient to arrange it with Mr. Salas.
We will wait for your news, thanks and regards,
Elena
- 2nd Email - Me (Feli) to Landlady:
Hi Elena,
I’m not quite sure why Mr Salas would need access to our router to give the flats below internet access, surely those flats will have there own landline connections? if there were several people all sharing from the same connection this would make it very slow? or would the speed of the connection be upgraded?
Regards
Felicitas
- 3rd Email – Landlady to Feli (me):
Hi Felicitas,
I hope the noise is getting better.
Mr. Salas has to come to your flat to open a link, passing by the floor to connect the rooter with the flats below. Then, below they will have their connections.
We would have the technician for the internet, Carlos Grau that would come together with Mr. Salas. Sr. Salas will make a hole to connect below and Grau will pass the cable and this is it. No more bother for you.
Regards
Elena
- 4th Email: Feli (me) to landlady:
Hi Elena,
Am I right in thinking from below that a LAN cable will be pushed through a hole from downstairs that will connect to the router sitting in our flat? this doesn’t seem right to me, what if the plug comes out? we would have people knocking on our door asking what has happened to the internet? or if like some days, it just does not work for a few hours? again, we would be responsible for the entire buildings internet? I did own a property in the UK previously so I know this is not the best way to get a whole building hooked up to the internet.
It would make more sense for each of the flats to have there own walled internet connection and own routers to allow for several computers in each flat to be hooked up.
If I have misunderstood what is getting done please clarify.
Regards
Felicitas
Well, what do you think? A little bit dodgy, isn’t it? What about privacy issues, someone savvy could hack into our computers easily. I am not very comfortable with that. Let’s see what the landlady tells us next.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:03 PM
Dodgy as hell. Dont think i’d like my neighbours using my internet connection.. you never know what they might get up to.
There’s a lot of nasty nasty stuff on the internet and if one of them starts downloading it who’d be responsible for the connection?
March 18th, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Well well, that’s hilarious. I’m no internet geek but I definitely think that this is a breach of internet security. If they are all connecting to the same router then surely they can easily hack onto your computer if they have the know how. I live in a block of flats and certainly wouldn’t like to share one internet connection with the rest of the block from one router….mmm.
March 18th, 2009 at 11:26 PM
Hey Feli, Sarah and Lee here!
Jeebus! What she is talking about is totally nuts. Your router has NOTHING to do with any other resident’s connections as it’s your router and your connection. You pay your provider for your service and your router can be used by multiple connections in YOUR property.
Aye, if you want to share yer net connection AND foot the bill for other tenant’s use of your connection, by all means let Mr Handyman in lol… Maybe she means there is going to be an overhaul of the whole infrastructure (wring etc) so needs access to hook you up, but the router is nowt to do with anyone else!
Much love! XXX
March 19th, 2009 at 3:51 AM
Hi Feli,
I first have to tell you how I came upon your posted article. I have a preset search defined for “funny” & “security” that gets emailed to me by Google. Today, this story was in my inbox. So, after reading it, I feel compelled to give my advice.
Since I live in Canada, I may not understand the local customs in your part of Spain. However, I am trying to imagine why the people you are dealing with seem so intent on having you share your internet connection with the whole building. My guess is, that it is just so rare in the neighbourhood to know somebody who has such good fortune as to have an Internet connection that they feel you are obligated to share it with everyone else who might want to use it; and that you would surely want to share your good fortune with everyone else.
You are quite correct that by sharing your router connection with other tenants you would be not only the focal point for any “service disruptions” (also called a bottle-neck), but the privacy and the security of any sensitive information on your computer would definitely be at risk to being exposed or hacked by the other tenants. The other tenants might even be running illegal internet sites or posting illegal content to sites through your router, which would make you an accomplice to their activities, and maybe even legally liable. You would also be liable for extra usage charges if the other tenants used more than the amount of data your service provider allows you to have going through your connection to them.
You will have to explain to your landlady that you are not a utility provider, and that the other tenants should each obtain their own Internet connection for reasons of economy, legality, availability and privacy. She may argue the economic benefits of the many outweigh the economic needs of the one (you), but on the others, she doesn’t have a chance of winning!
I look forward to hearing how your saga ends.
Best of Luck,
Scott
March 19th, 2009 at 7:48 AM
Thanks, Scott!
I really appreciate your input. I think the landlady is just a chancer and can be classified as “dodgy”, as the internet is included in our monthly rent.
Funnily enough I´ve not heard back from my landlady, since my last email!
Maybe she expected us to be a bit more naive than this.
Be assured to hear about how the story ends.
Feli
March 19th, 2009 at 7:49 AM
Cheers, honey!
The only problem we have is that the internet is provided as part of the rent.. so she might have a leg to stand on. But we´ll just not open the door! haha
I´ll let you know how it all ends.
Lots of love,
Feli
March 19th, 2009 at 7:50 AM
Thanks, Andy!
I know it´s a case of complete internet security breach. I´ve never heard of this before in a house with separate flats.
Let´s see what her response is, as I´ve not heard back from her after my last email.
Feli
March 21st, 2009 at 12:58 PM
[...] for everyone’s comments about my recent post about my internet privacy & security issues with my landlady here in Barcelona! In my last email to Elena I asked her how she wanted to share [...]
March 25th, 2009 at 7:40 PM
Worst case scenario: your neighbour runs a Tor connection through your router and your door gets kicked down by the police at 5am.
March 26th, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Sweet!
June 15th, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Your post is very well crafted and I have learned a lot.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:40 AM
I am glad the post was useful to you, Handyman!
Thanks for stopping by!
Felicitas