Originally, the WiFi kiosks set up throughout New York City were intended to act as a sort of replacement for the outdated phone booths- a place to charge one’s phone, check up the weather, or consult a transit map. Unfortunately, the kiosks have been used for more malicious purposes, becoming an opportunity for loiterers and accessing pornography right there on the sidewalk.
After numerous complaints, LINK, the operator of the kiosks, has agreed to turn off the Internet access. The operators of LINK NYC had already installed browsing blocks in response to complaints that the screens were becoming porn hubs.
Upper West Sider David Shapiro called the city’s move an “‘Only in New York’ solution to an ‘Only in New York’ problem.”
This development comes a mere seven months after the mayor introduced the network as a key element of his pledge to bridge the digital divide in the city, amid much fanfare.
The kiosks were meant to replace more than 7,500 public pay phones, and bring free Wi-Fi and phone service to every neighborhood.
The plans turned sour, however, as the homeless and other people used them to download and watch movies, and play loud and expletive music.
“People are congregating around these Links to the point where they’re bringing furniture and building little encampments clustered around them,” said Barbara A. Blair, president of the Garment District Alliance, a business group in Manhattan. “It’s created this really unfortunate and actually deplorable condition.”
Councilman Corey Johnson, a Democrat whose district encompasses Greenwich Village, Chelsea and part of Midtown, said police officials had asked for the removal of “several problematic kiosks” that are situated along Eighth Avenue. He said he had observed people watching pornography on the kiosk screens with children nearby.
“These kiosks are often monopolized by individuals creating personal spaces for themselves, engaging in activities that include playing loud explicit music, consuming drugs and alcohol, and the viewing of pornography,” Mr. Johnson wrote in a letter last month to officials of the city and LinkNYC.
So, the surfing feature on the kiosk tablets will be disabled by Friday at the latest, city officials said. And this is why New Yorkers can’t have nice things.
