Lest you think you've heard it all, check out this story! Ridiculous, but evidently true! I think the time could be better spent by these law enforcement agents, needless to say. But beware, those of you who have done this innocently enough!
Rules are rules A business I would think would have a hard time prosecuting this unless a purchase was required before accessing the network.
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Can't believe it! Using an open internet network = felony charges and possible 5 years. Possession of drugs by a minor...... = a pop on the hand and back home you go.... Amazing ain't it???!!!???
Kaye334
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well, guess i'll be a little different than some of the other opinions so far, but here goes . . .
that kind of penalty for something like what he was doing is nuts. but i do understand the main reason for the law. if the guy is not hacking in, then lighten up.
since we have internet access at our shop (Kafe Buzz), i would think it very uncourteous for someone to come and park in front of the shop and use our internet. after all, we are paying a nice little chunk of change for it. (and i don't understand why it costs sooo much more for a business than for a home. the highest speed is $43 a month for home vs. $110 a month for a business.) it is intended for our customers. but, to try to make sure of that, i have a password on it, so that you must at least ask someone what the password is. if the guy sat out in his vehicle, he was being slightly underhanded about it anyway. he should have at least gone in and asked. i think they should just make the guy pay the place for a cup of coffee for each day he used their connection and tell him to be courteous and go inside and get a cup of coffee the next time. heck, if he became a regular, they'd probably let him use it once in a while without expecting him to buy anything. he would have come out much cheaper - 1 cup @ ~$2 for 1 week is $10 - if he'd gotten the cup of coffee.
the cops should have checked him out (based on the call they got) and then, when they found out what he was doing, walked him in the coffee shop and told what was going on and asked him if he'd like to pay for some coffee. then drop it.
All sunsets are not created equal.
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I believe the law needs to be changed on this. If a wireless internet is UNSECURED and broadcasting, it should be accessible to anyone who wants to use it for LEGAL purposes. However, if the user is attempting to unlawfully access other computers (ie "hacking, phishing") or spamming, then those aspects should remain illegal. It is easy enough for people to secure their wireless networks to lock out unwanted users.
Now I have seen people who use other people's unsecured wireless internet to keep from having to pay for their own. Some people are just too cheap, sorry, or whatever to wanna pay for their own access, so they mooch off of whoever is available. I don't think that's right, but that's also why my wireless networks are locked down. I don't want some moocher hogging MY bandwith I pay for just because they are too cheap to pay for their own. I certainly don't want people I don't know accessing MY internet access to download porn, send spam e-mails, promote terrorism, download illegal music files, or anything else that may have the FBI, CIA, Secret Service, US Marshalls, KGB, Scotland Yard, or whoever busting my door down, arresting me, and taking all my computer hardware to forensics for something I didn't do!
I believe the law needs to be changed on this. If a wireless internet is UNSECURED and broadcasting, it should be accessible to anyone who wants to use it for LEGAL purposes.
But isn't this like saying if I left my car outside my house with the keys inside, it's ok someone to just take it for awhile?
IMO, secured or unsecured it's not OK for someone to leech off other people's bandwidth. Regardless of intentions, it's stealing, plain and simple. Not to mention those on the satellite connections that have a fair use policy limiting their bandwidth usage monthly. With public access points available in virtually every town, and a dial-up connection available anywhere, there's no reason for someone to steal bandwidth for any reason.
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$500 fine I will be going in the coffee house to use the internet from now on I dont mind buying something but I do hate taking my laptop in a public place ... a little distraction and next thing you know no more laptop
once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest places if you look at it right ...
First off, the wireless router radiates a radio signal. Currently there is no law (to my knowledge) against picking up and open airwave signal. When I was in the USAF we ran into something very similar. People at home using scanners managed to figure out what freq. our F15's were broadcasting on to the towers...uplink and downlink...the USAF tried to press charges against people who were found to be "listening" in on pilot conversations with the tower. FCC stepped in and told them that if you broadcast is...and they can recieve it with a product that is sold legally to the consumer, then they can listen all they want. That triggered the AF to start using KARA RT and KY58 even in there conv. with the towers....now on the flip side of this...with a wireless connection, this is a two-way deal...potential to hack and all that. Morally he SHOULD'VE got the owners permission to get the internet..BUT..if he wasn't physically on the companies property then what??..I don't believe he should be fined...I don't believe he should have anything done to him. There was a thread just earlier this week about WIFI hotspots and people gave suggestions about different places here in this town to park and get a signal....now how many business owners watched that thread and this one...and perhaps..not saying they would. but perhaps are watching their business networks waiting for someone that is not supposed to use it to get on? If they don't want anyone except paying customers to use it...assign a PW..when the person buys a drink, give them the PW....and change it everyday...but if I drive by your business and say I park at Smokin Jacks and I hit the WIFI at Econolodge..so be it...it's there...it's broadcasting that far out...I'm gonna use it...I'm not on the hotels parking lot.
If guns kill people, then pencils are to blame for all of my spelling errors.
A business I would think would have a hard time prosecuting this unless a purchase was required before accessing the network.
Kaye334
I will be going in the coffee house to use the internet from now on I dont mind buying something but I do hate taking my laptop in a public place ... a little distraction and next thing you know no more laptop 
