is there a Google offer for "wifi hotspots"

Maybe, but it looks like a rumor or hoax:

Google Wi-Fi in New York? (from 2005)

Meanwhile, at the alt.internet.wireless Job Justification Hearings, danny burstein chose the tried and tested strategy of:

If one were to set up a trojan access point in order to harvest unencrypted data, attack unsuspecting users, et cetera, then using Google's name would probably work on all but the most paranoid of users, because of Google's propensity for giving stuff away for free in return for as much personal data as you're willing to give them. Before writing this, if I'd seen an access point called "Free internet from Google", I probably would have connected without a second thought!

I would too up to the point where it asks for a login and password. My guess(tm) is they're harvesting gmail accounts and passwords for some nefarious reason.

Due to the vague nature of the original description, it might also be the "Free Public WiFi" problem:

Jeff Liebermann wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

would have

password. My

passwords for some

How can they harvest gmail pws? That's https encrypted.

The whole Gmail session is encrypted. However, it can be disabled in the settings. I'm finding users that have it disabled because of perceived speed problem. However, the login and initial handshake remain encrypted.

Harvesting passwords is easy with a "man in the middle" or fake phishing web site exploit. The encryption works fine when connected to the Gmail web site, but if I were to throw together a fake web site, that looks like Google/Gmail, I could easily ask for logins and passwords. Many users would not notice that the fake site is not encrypted.

The fake Google home page would initially ask for the iGoogle login and password to continue. The iGoogle login and password are usually the same as the Gmail login and password. The first time, it would automagically reject the password (but save it for later abuse). Upon initial failure, it would redirect the next attempt directly to the real Google/iGoogle/Gmail web page, which would succeed. Most users will think they just mistyped their password the first time.

This can be done with ANY web site, including banking, Paypal, eBay, Amazon, and such. With a wireless router, you have total control over where the wireless user's packets are sent. A fair example is the initial splash page used in many hot spots. You can type in any URL you want, but you'll get redirected to the splash page and will go no further until you approve something and possibly supply a credit card number or valid account number.

(No, I'm not going to supply specifics, examples, tools, or working scripts.)

And, under the "Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act" (COICA), now sneaking its way through COngress, the Feds will be in on the act...

Well, kind of.

It's an ugly bill, but someone has to pay for Congressional campaigns.

Check out:

Excerpts from email from Peter Eckersley

I'm writing to say thank you to all of you who signed our open letter against the Senate's COICA censorship bill. For reference, a copy of the letter is here:

1. WE WON :)

On Monday, when I asked for sign-ons to the letter, the Senate Judiciary Committee claimed it had heard of no objections to the bill, and was planning to move forward with the COICA DNS censorship bill on Wednesday. Last night, the Senate put the bill off until after the elections.

1. You guys made the difference. Seriously, if you hadn't all signed the letter, DNS censorship would be on the floor of the Senate and close to a done deal at this point.

1. We haven't won completely. A version of this bill will be back on the agenda during the "lame duck" session of Congress in November. It's entirely possible that EFF will need your help again in fighting it off. To that end, I might BCC you on further emails asking for help in campaigning against this specific proposal (and only this specific proposal). If you would prefer that I not do that, let me know at any time