Free Wireless

As for anonymous bear in mind that as soon as you send any data that contains personal information, for example an email address then that could start the ball rolling for your identity to be determined, if the host starts to do a bit of sniffing.

Probably it won't happen. Doing this when you're on the move is one thing but sitting at home using your neighbours connection raises the chance.

David.

But, if the connection has not been secured in anyway, then (in the UK at any rate) it can be interpreted as an invitation to use the service - I am aware of one case whereby the miscreant got away with it because he got a DHCP address from the wireless setup and was allowed to access the internet - his argument was that there were no controls on access so how was he to know!

SK

That's not the case at all, there have already been legal cases in the UK to state otherwise.

For example:-

Please provide a link to support your claim. There is no such interpretation that if it's not secured, you're welcome.

David.

Yawn.

There are free wireless access points in many places, eg, some restaurants now offer them to entice customers to come and stay and drink many gallons of coffee. Go use those instead of stealing your neighbour's signal.

There's a law review article on the situation in the U.S.:

I haven't read it closely and it seems to deal more with severe crimes rather than leeching of a neighbors connection, but the author does mention that some courts have refused to apply traditional criminal sanctions against trespass and theft. In the case of theft, for instance, it is sometimes said that no theft has been committed so long as one leaves behind the original document one has copied without authorization.

Other opinions, including those of lawyers and law enforcement officials I've consulted, differ; e.g.,

:

On the state level it could be more clear. "It's unlawful access", said John Geraty, an officer with the Internet crimes against children unit of the San Francisco Police Department.

According to Geraty, using your neighbor's wireless is specifically prohibited in the California penal code. "It's not yours and you're taking it," he says.

He's apparently referring to California Penal Code section 502.

I hope no one leaves their vehicle running with the door open! Does this mean it is a free vehicle? 8^o

Theft is the permanent denial of something belonging to someone else. This is why joyriding of cars over here isn't classed as theft. They only intended on taking the car for a while. The fact that they never give it back in the same place they took it from, in the condition it was taken seems irrelevant.

I don't see how you can return bandwidth that the other person has paid for.

David.

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

theft n. the generic term for all crimes in which a person intentionally and fraudulently takes personal property of another without permission or consent and with the intent to convert it to the taker's use (including potential sale). ...