Editing Wi-Fi hotspot (section)

==Legal issues==
{{See also|Legality of piggybacking}}
Depending upon the set up of a public hotspot, the provider of the hotspot has access to the metadata and content accessed by users of the hotspot, and may have legal obligations related to privacy requirements and liability for use of the hotspot for unlawful purposes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wififoundation.org/legal|title=HTL Support Ts and Cs - HTL}}</ref> In countries where the internet is regulated or [[freedom of speech]] more restricted, there may be requirements such as licensing, logging, or recording of user information.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} Concerns may also relate to [[child safety]], and [[social issue]]s such as exposure to objectionable content, protection against [[cyberbullying]] and illegal behaviours, and prevention of perpetration of such behaviors by hotspot users themselves.

=== European Union ===
The [[Data Retention Directive]] which required hotspot owners to retain key user statistics for 12 months was annulled by the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2014. The [[Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications]] was replaced in 2018 by the [[General Data Protection Regulation]], which imposes restrictions on data collection by hotspot operators.

=== United Kingdom ===
* [[Data Protection Act 1998]]: The hotspot owner must retain individual's information {{dubious|date=July 2017}} within the confines of the law.
* [[Digital Economy Act 2010]] :<sup>[https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05515/#:~:text=Download%20full%20report-,The%20Digital%20Economy%20Act%202010%20received%20Royal%20Assent%20at%20the,history%20provided%20would%20be%20anonymised. <nowiki>[39]</nowiki>]</sup> Deals with, among other things, [[copyright infringement]], and imposes fines of up to £250,000 for contravention.