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One company’s effort to turn homeless people into wireless hotspots at the South by Southwest festival is causing controversy.  Standing in front of the Austin Convention Center, surrounded by throngs of revelers, [Mark] West, 44, calls out: “Hotspot! Hotspot! Wireless connection! 4G! Need to get online? I’m your guy!” And plenty of Internet geeks are accessing the WiFi hotspot around his neck, a program of BBH Labs, a New York City-based marketing company. To access West’s hotspot, users send a text message to a number printed on his T-shirt. They then get an access code for the Verizon MiFi 4G around his neck. Users are asked to donate $2 per 15 minutes; West is quick to add they can donate more. “There are a lot of stereotypes out there that homeless people don’t want to work,” he said. “I applaud BBH for giving me an opportunity to raise out of my circumstances.” What do you think? Is that clever, or just crass?

One company’s effort to turn homeless people into wireless hotspots at the South by Southwest festival is causing controversy. 

Standing in front of the Austin Convention Center, surrounded by throngs of revelers, [Mark] West, 44, calls out: “Hotspot! Hotspot! Wireless connection! 4G! Need to get online? I’m your guy!”

And plenty of Internet geeks are accessing the WiFi hotspot around his neck, a program of BBH Labs, a New York City-based marketing company.

To access West’s hotspot, users send a text message to a number printed on his T-shirt. They then get an access code for the Verizon MiFi 4G around his neck. Users are asked to donate $2 per 15 minutes; West is quick to add they can donate more.

“There are a lot of stereotypes out there that homeless people don’t want to work,” he said. “I applaud BBH for giving me an opportunity to raise out of my circumstances.”

What do you think? Is that clever, or just crass?

44 Notes

  1. peacegirl reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  2. la-jubilance reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  3. caradenopal reblogged this from thedailyfeed and added:
    Congratulations tech yuppies, you have found a way to further ignite my rage with your shitty festival.
  4. red-robin-yum reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  5. hearrivedlikethewind reblogged this from sosungalittleclodofclay
  6. sosungalittleclodofclay reblogged this from thedailyfeed and added:
    Both.
  7. theincrediblediblemaggie reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  8. katrina-kay reblogged this from thedailyfeed and added:
    This seems lucrative, though the last statement seems to defy any notions of exploitation on behalf of the homeless...
  9. constructivecynicismblog reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  10. dr-gibberyshrooms-md said: holy shit! homeless people are earning money with out having to beg for it? that is just wrong. especially since they seem to want to do it.
  11. queenroz reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  12. private-in-public reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  13. mars-ultor reblogged this from thedailyfeed
  14. mars-ultor said: Clever as hell. I personally think all homeless people should be given this kind of opportunity.
  15. un said: Why is there even a question? Fuck you.
  16. moderation said: its degrading.
  17. thedailyfeed posted this