Rules for router software backroom solution – Germany radio

More than a year ago, the European Parliament and the European Council adopted Directive “2014/53 / EU”. Nothing special, but the policy is simply an update of an old directive from 1999. And because it is so unassuming, almost no one has noticed that it has a new edition in itself. Because it defines: a manufacturer of radio equipment must prevent third parties can change the radio interface in the future. This should, for example, interference and other disorders such as escalating electromagnetic fields are avoided. But what are the critical points? The IT lawyer and judge at the district court of Frankfurt am Main, Reto Mantz:

“The problem is how to interpret these concepts So the policy defined in article two, which is a radio system and that is extremely far.. Since the classic wireless router is. But it can also have a mobile phone or even the phone that you are here to be at home by recognized. So really taken everything works via radio basically. “

And although it is not clear which technique is actually exactly affected, making the Directive as regards means a clear message.

“In Article 3, paragraph 3 … there is software, it is to be prevented that software is installed. And when one imagines the question, so is the complete firmware mean? So we must now play nothing? Or should we just such software can not play that could affect conformity with the Radio Regulations. ”

This one wants to ensure that we share the European Commission in writing that the rising number of sparking devices and their combination not caused extensive disturbances and violations of the law. However, this provision could have drastic consequences, so

“taken Reto Mantz. Basically, it is for the manufacturer easiest to prevent the uploading of any software, rather than taking the trouble to a specific part, hedge. But it’s much easier to say, I forbid completely the software is installed here. “

So has it in his own words but not thought the Commission. Much more would create conditions that would promote a free and open source diversity, lets us know the Commission. But the researchers seem to have developers and activists from Germany, Europe and the US understood differently. They fear that it will soon give little more hardware that could adapt for their own purposes. 260 of them now demonstrate with an open letter against plans by the US Federal Communications Commission, which is planning a very similar rules as those who are at EU level already facts. One of the signatories is the wifi Co and programmer Dave Täht.

“The FCC guidelines contained a clause, according to which manufacturers must keep the users they can install your own software such as OpenWRT or DD-WRT on their devices “. to use

For Dave Täht it’s not just about the mere possibility own software. He thinks that just have delivered bad firmware in the past router manufacturer, full of vulnerabilities and default in the performance.

“It’s not just about the router. Think of the Internet of Things. The will be billions of devices. If the well can not be upgraded, so as to plan the FCC and the European Commission, then we will have potentially millions smart bulbs which send spam “.

Täht and the other signatories of the open letter, but do not just protest and warn. They also suggest a – from their perspective – very simple solution: make open source software and document, regardless of the license

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