Skift Take
Gogo wants its Wi-Fi users to believe the notion that it is primarily monitoring customers' Internet usage to block improper video streaming to safeguard bandwidth and the browsing experience for everyone on the plane. Passengers who are aware of the controversy will have to decide if they trust Big Brother up in the air.
Gogo has revealed that it is in active discussions with Google to resolve a conflict over the in-flight connectivity company’s issuing of fake Google SSL certificates to users connected to Gogo's in-flight Wi-Fi services.
The company has also released a statement explaining that it only monitors usage on its network to prevent logged-in passengers from working around video streaming restrictions, potentially using up a lion’s share of bandwidth available on a flight, which would slow or ruin the user experience for other paying customers.
The issue arose January 2 when Adrienne Porter Felt, an engineer on the Google Chrome security team, called Gogo out publicly via Twitter for issuing Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates on its network.
https://twitter.com/__apf__/status/551083956326920192
By issuing SSL certificates labeled as "*.google.com," but actually issued by Gogo, Gogo superimposes its own encryption protocols in place of Google’s. This filters data transmitted through Gogo’s own network, potentially allowing it to gather additional information on passenger’s internet activities. This practice negates the purpose of SSL certificates, which are designed to provide a unique secure enc
