Man Arrested Using Anothers Wi-Fi

[Ed Sane]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050707/ap_on_hi_te/techbits_wi_fi_theft_1


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.


SNIP

[Ed Sane]

Pick this off a more tech site I belong to, not sure if many here would find it interesting to discuss....

Personally I think its bs to consider this a felony. If you have an unsecured wireless network and some guy starts using it tough...Seriously you cant steal bandwidth. Though the article doesnt state that it was unsecured, it would take an hour or more with current tech to break your average users WEP or WAP keys, which makes it pretty pointless. Which leads me to believe this fool had an unsecured network that another man took advantage of....

So I ask is it wrong to take advantage of an unsecured network, and should it be a felony charge, and could anyone tell me about Class 3 felonies exactly????

[GI Joe]

You can just drive up and down a street and find some fool who doesnt secure his network. Why spend the time trying to break in. My buddy gets free broadband from his house because some fool is on a wireless and doesnt secure it.

[Ed Sane]

If its in Florida thats a class 3 felony...I just wanted to see how many would agree to such a law that you can "steal" an unsecured wireless network by using up bandwidth.....Hell just roaming through seattle with a laptop I detect dozens of unsecured networks well delivering newspapers..

[Chidi]

That is just wrong really, I know about 20-30 people who daily use other people Wireless connection from nextdoor fairly common place to be honest kind of like downloading music except nobody looses out.

[poly_nightmare]

You can just drive up and down a street and find some fool who doesnt secure his network. Why spend the time trying to break in. My buddy gets free broadband from his house because some fool is on a wireless and doesnt secure it.

IF you are going to use a wireless connection, then you have to encrpyt. You can't just leave the door open for someone to use your connection for their use and yes, steal information. This person is an idiot for leaving the connection open for all to use. He obviously doesn't know the first thing about wireless connection. People have told me that we should have our school go wireless, but I am against going wireless for security reasons. When you can download things online for free that can link up with a wireless network, you shouldn't be using it. I like my wires they way they are.

[patrickt]

Let's see, if I walk down a parking lot I can find a lot of cars with the keys in them. So, it's okay if I take those for spin. And, when you use someone elses WIFI, no one loses, except, of course, the people who sell the service.

Personally, I don't think it should be a felony but I think it should be illegal with a nice fine.

[Ed Sane]

Except with cars there is wear and tear, or they might not get it back with WI-Fi its bandwidth which is restored as soon as the person using it stops, the analogy is not sound

[Churlant]

Except with cars there is wear and tear, or they might not get it back with WI-Fi its bandwidth which is restored as soon as the person using it stops, the analogy is not sound

How is it not sound? Theft is theft. Even if the guy brings my car back with a new paintjob and a full tank of gas, he still stole my car.

-JC

[Buckstops]

How is it not sound? Theft is theft. Even if the guy brings my car back with a new paintjob and a full tank of gas, he still stole my car.

-JC

I'd not press charges in that case, myself. You know what gas costs these days? :p

I'd agree that it's illegal, but should only be a fine. A felony seems a little ridiculous. Don't we need to keep some jail space free for all those child molesters? Let this guy write a check, feel bad, and have to apologize to his neighbor. Let his neighbor grow a brain and encrypt his network. Don't send this guy off to take up a bed in a jail which could do a much better service to society by holding a real criminal instead.

[Churlant]

I'd not press charges in that case, myself. You know what gas costs these days? :p

I'd agree that it's illegal, but should only be a fine. A felony seems a little ridiculous. Don't we need to keep some jail space free for all those child molesters? Let this guy write a check, feel bad, and have to apologize to his neighbor. Let his neighbor grow a brain and encrypt his network. Don't send this guy off to take up a bed in a jail which could do a much better service to society by holding a real criminal instead.

Well that much I can agree with. Felony does seem a bit ridiculous, considering.

-JC

[poly_nightmare]

This may be a bad analogy, but stealing a car is bad. However, if you leave your keys in the car, you are asking for it to be stolen.

[Churlant]

This may be a bad analogy, but stealing a car is bad. However, if you leave your keys in the car, you are asking for it to be stolen.

Sure you are.. but it's STILL illegal dangit. Not to mention wrong :p

-JC