Airlines planning to filter, censor in-flight ‘Net access

The prospect of having broadband while flying at 35,000 feet is enough to get most of us geeks a-twitter. We’d want it to be safe, of course, but frankly we’re a little tired of the arguments against unencumbered in-flight WiFi that center on so-called ‘Net etiquette. An AP report today recounts the objections of some travelers and airlines alike to in-flight WiFi, and they pull out the usual ghosts and goblins: armies of loud VoIP users, people “flaming” each other on planes (oh please), and guys who just can’t stop looking at porn. These Chicken Little scenarios are tiresome and not supported by the evidence, yet they are being used by many airlines to justify blocking and filtering in-flight broadband. Some airlines will filter VoIP packets, others will use blacklists to block access to sites. (And meanwhile, people are still bringing “carry-ons” onto the plane that are two-times too large.)

Full article: arstechnica.com