Open Wireless Movement (OWM)

What Does Open Wireless Movement (OWM) Mean?

The Open Wireless Movement (OWM) is a campaign geared toward making the wireless Internet shared, open and accessible to all without compromising the security of Internet service providers (ISP) or individuals. It was initiated by a group of organizations, technology professionals and Internet freedom activists.

OWM was launched in response to Hurricane Sandy, which disrupted Internet communication in affected areas in the United States.

Techopedia Explains Open Wireless Movement (OWM)

OWM provides end users with the freedom to connect to any available wireless Internet. This means that any user has the ability to connect to and access a wireless network without subscribing, paying or entering a required user ID and password.

OWM also provides:

• Security standards and recommendations through the use of Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) and other wireless security mechanisms
• Implementation of transport layer security (TLS)
• Enabling/disabling sharing.

The primary organization behind OWM is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Related groups include the Open Rights Group (ORG), NYC Wireless and the Open Technology Institute (OTI).