I think it's unethical to use other people's networks without permission but I didn't know it was illegal.

I thought it was only illegal when it was password protected, since one is no longer using open networks.


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Man Charged With Stealing Wi-Fi Signal
Wed Jul 6, 8:15 PM ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Police have arrested a man for using someone else's wireless Internet network in one of the first criminal cases involving this fairly common practice.

Benjamin Smith III, 41, faces a pretrial hearing this month following his April arrest on charges of unauthorized access to a computer network, a third-degree felony.

Police say Smith admitted using the Wi-Fi signal from the home of Richard Dinon, who had noticed Smith sitting in an SUV outside Dinon's house using a laptop computer.

The practice is so new that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement doesn't even keep statistics, according to the St. Petersburg Times, which reported Smith's arrest this week.

Innocuous use of other people's unsecured Wi-Fi networks is common, though experts say that plenty of illegal use also goes undetected: such as people sneaking on others' networks to traffic in child pornography, steal credit card information and send death threats.

Security experts say people can prevent such access by turning on encryption or requiring passwords, but few bother or are unsure how to do so.

Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity, has enjoyed prolific growth since 2000. Millions of households have set up wireless home networks that give people like Dinon the ability to use the Web from their backyards but also reach the house next door or down the street.

It's not clear why Smith was using Dinon's network. Prosecutors declined to comment, and a working phone number could not be located for Smith.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... fi_theft_1

If you go wireless you should be smart enough to protect it. Sitting outside of someones whom and using the internet is kind of creepy though. I know from my house I can see 5 wireless networks and connect to two of them. Personally, I think it is their fault for allowing me in. Doesn't it become public airwaves at some point?

If I was neighbors with a dude that kept his transmitter close to my side of the house, you better believe I wouldn't be paying for internet access.

But what I'm curious about is if that would be prosecuted as theft, considering the owner of the wireless access point didn’t secure his router.

My garden hose isn't secured, but if someone stole it, that would still be theft.

But bandwidth is arguably not real property, so how can it truly be stolen?

Hey, if I'm paying to equip my house with it, don't I have the right to say who can use it? I could get in serious trouble if some dude is using it to steal music or download kiddie porn. That guy in the SUV doesn't get busted, I do. So, I should have control over what comes through that pipe.

I agree. Using someone's connection to check your e-mail isn't like hacking into their bank account or hogging your neighbour's bandwidth by watching lots of streaming video, so given the serious implications this entails maybe we’ll see a day where every online activity must be tied to a personal digital certificate.

I wonder why this guy didnt just drive to the parking lot of a hotel? I work for an ISP and we install hotel's and the majority of them don't want encryption turned on because most of the guests are morons and can't figure that out.

As a thief of bandwidth I take a personal interest in this case and think it's bullshit.

B you do have control over what goes through that pipe. It's insanely easy to turn on WEP or use authenitcation keys. If you read 2 pages into your wireless router manual it will tell you how to do it. An open wifi spot should be a sign that you don't care if someone uses it. I leave mine open.

Really how many people are there using open wifi networks to send hate mail and child porn? Or even download music for god's sake. 80% of it is probably people just checking their e-mail.

When you plug in that wireless router you are becoming a broadcaster of broadband internet connection. If you want it closed or protected then protect it. If people can't understand how to enable WEP they're fucking morons

I'm going back to the garden hose reference. It's easy to unscrew it or turn the water off inside the house, but leaving it out isn't an invitation for people to take or start using it to fill up their swimming pool.

Everybody in my building that's in my range has open networks. Not a one is password protected.

The garden hose is a physical thing it's not a broadcast of a signal

when i'm online i broadcast a signal either to myself or leave it open

if my hose was left on all the time, would you not take a drink

eh B???

I udnerstand it being illegal, but a felony? That is just nutty.

No. It's more like if your neighbor is using your garden hose hooked up to your house to water his lawn, and you're paying for that "bandwidth" on your water bill. If he weren't using it, you would use less and be charged less. In this case, users are usually not charged according to their bandwidth, but that bandwidth that they're paying for is theirs, not free for the public's use. If you want to leave your network open and allow your excess to be used by others, that's your choice. But non-permitted use is like trespassing as well as stealing. And just like anything else, for everyone who steals something, the price goes up for those who pay their bills properly.

fixed

While this is a case of someone purposely going out and searching for an open network, there are situations that are much more questionable. For example, what if someone's open wireless connection is going through your place of residence? Microsoft Windows, for example, would automatically connect you to that wireless network even if you didn't request it. Are you stealing here?

I agree with those who say that the person should have taken the time to password protect their network. If they had done so, there would have been clear intent that they didn't want others to use their connection. In the current situation where their network is wide open, the intent is unknown. For what it's worth, my housemates and I have a wireless router here and keep it open for anyone to use.

Just for the record, I already said I'd steal a wi-fi connection from my neighbor, but I wouldn't defend it as perfectly legitimate and legal.

I think you hit it on the head because when you have high speed you're paying a flat rate not for the bandwidth. Sure it's mine but I think an open node is just that, an open node. If it's closed with WEP or any kind of security and you try and bypass that, then you're stealing. Why not just place a warning on the Routers to say "An open network will allow others to connect to your network." You still shouldn't be held responsible for what they do online. Unless they're doing something like IP spoofing or fucking with the MAC address you should be able to tell someone else downloaded the kiddy porn. So you and your horse videos are safe punkdavid

so what you're saying is that if i leave my car unlocked in my driveway and the key on the seat, it's ok for someone to drive my car around the block a few times without my permission because i didn't place a sign in the wnidow indicating my intent is not for them to do so? please.