What would you do for free Wi-fi? In experiment, some sign away eldest child

Several Britons agreed to give their eldest child in return for free Wi-fi, in an experiment that highlighted the dangers of public internet.

Londoners were asked to agree to terms and conditions as they logged on to use free Wi-fi in a cafe close to the Houses of Parliament. The terms included a "Herod clause", under which the Wi-fi was provided only if "the recipient agreed to assign their first born child to us for the duration of eternity".

In the short period the terms and conditions were live, six people signed up.

"As this is an experiment, we will be returning the children to their parents," said the tech security firm that ran the experiment, F-Secure.

The experiment highlighted "the total disregard for computer security by people when they are mobile", said its report.

German ethical hacking company SySS built the device used in the study: a mobile Wi-fi hotspot small enough to be carried in a handbag for around €200 (HK$1,970).