Advertisement

Church tower Wi-Fi 'Godspots' to bring word from on high

The Local Germany
The Local Germany - [email protected]
Church tower Wi-Fi 'Godspots' to bring word from on high
File Photo: DPA

Boredom during long sermons could soon be a thing of the past in Berlin and Brandenburg as the Protestant Church plans to install Wi-Fi hotspots in its 3,000 churches.

Advertisement

In the coming weeks the first 220 parishes will be fitted out with equipment to make the so-called 'Godspots' a reality.

One of the first churches to be fitted with Wi-Fi will be the French Cathedral on Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt square.

It's the first time a state-wide Church has offered such a service.

“People aren't less spiritual than before. But the sites of communication have shifted, a lot is going on in digital social networks and communities,” the church's IT chief Fabian Kraetschmer said in a statement.

“With Godspot we want to build a secure and trusted home in the digital world.”

Screenshot: Godspot.de

The Wi-Fi service will be available to people inside and outside the Church for free, with no registration or login required.

But users will be directed to a page when they first connect that provides information about the Church building and the local parish.

The Church also promises not to push advertising or keep users' personal data or pass it on to third parties.

Although the federal government has promised to abolish a rule that makes network providers responsible for the actions of their users - such as copyright theft – the Church's network will be online before the law is repealed.

For that reason they've chosen to make two specialized Berlin companies the legal providers of the service who will have to deal with such complaints.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also