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PUBLIC WIFI SERVICE Bitbuzz has announced that users can now avail its wireless internet using their Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Bitbuzz, which offers free WiFi in public areas across Dublin and in other cities in the country, says that when users enter one of their hotspots they can now login through their own personal Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Bitbuzz says that customers’ rights will remain “paramount” and the integrity of their data will be protected.
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“This new departure for Bitbuzz has been developed to meet user demand. We are constantly trying to make it simpler and quicker to get online, while still complying with Irish and UK Data Retention laws,” Alex French, Bitbuzz’s Operations Director, said.
The service had over 1.1 million registered users at the end of last year, a nearly 50 per cent increase in users.
It has over 430 WiFi hotspots and over 11,000 hotel bedrooms in its network in the UK and Ireland and plans further expansion this year.
Poll: Would you use your Twitter or Facebook account to login into Bitbuzz or other public WiFi services?
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Will we still have to pay if we logon to BitBuzz using our FB/Twitter credentials?
For years now I’ve been places where I saw Bitbuzz and instantly discarded it as a viable wifi option as they charge you (€12.50 a day.. outrageous!) to use the service. I will use it now if all i gotta do is input my user credentials.
Can never understand why all bars/cafes don’t have free open wifi. In Vietnam nearly every place you walk into has this and it’s just so handy (and this being a 3rd world country). Just limit the speed so any saddo wanting to download 100gb of data wont get a use out of it while the 99% who simply wanna check mail, use maps, read a review or whatever can use it.
Here in Ireland it’s a case of there being no wifi, or wifi where the access code is 32 random characters that no staff seem to know….it’s a joke.
This is mainly because i think that every business that offers free wifi must by law know who is using it. Login through Facebook or Twitter is a way of doing this.
Nothing new here though? They are just allowing people use their Facebook or Twitter credentials to create an account just like many web sites including this one.
They never get your Facebook credentials – these remain with Facebook. AT basic level, all they can access is your user public profile and friend list. These are publicly available to anybody. Anything else you voluntarily give up through permissions.
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