I'm surprised at this. It's not illegal to listen to the radio next door, so why should a radio signal be different? Or are there extra aspects that the report does not include?
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An old man
![[tiger]](/data/assets/smilies/tiger.gif "[tiger] [tiger]")
who lives in the UK
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Stealing a radio wave
- Thread starter GwydionM
- Start date
- Status
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An old man
who lives in the UK- Thread starter
- #3
mrdenny
Programmer
- May 27, 2002
- 11,595
Technically yes you must.
Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)
![[noevil]](/data/assets/smilies/noevil.gif "[noevil] [noevil]")
(Not quite so old any more.)
Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)
(Not quite so old any more.)
clubsceneuk2
MIS
Although accessing the internet via someone elses wifi connection is being classed as illegal you have to consider why the wifi connection was not security encripted.
If the owner is stupid enough to leave it unprotected then it should be hacked and used by anyone who can connect to it.
Its like anything in this world, if you dont want other people to use it, lock it away.
CP
If the owner is stupid enough to leave it unprotected then it should be hacked and used by anyone who can connect to it.
Its like anything in this world, if you dont want other people to use it, lock it away.
CP
jonnyknowsbest
Technical User
Surely if it isn't protected, you don't actually hack it. Instead, you just stumble across it.
- Thread starter
- #7
I felt the same as jonnyknowsbest, that an unprotected signal means a lack of concern. I'd call that trusting rather than stupid. Of course if people are going to abuse it, trust will vanish, just as it has with internet downloads.
I'd also assume that the law does treat it as trespass or theft - trespass makes more sense, but lawyers can be as foolish as they like and still declair themselves The Law.
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An old man who lives in the UK
I'd also assume that the law does treat it as trespass or theft - trespass makes more sense, but lawyers can be as foolish as they like and still declair themselves The Law.
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An old man
who lives in the UKThe guy should sit for a few days in the county lockup, and the owner should be fined for not securing his network.
Wireless networks left wide open broadcasting their SSID is no different than posting a huge neon "Comeon In" sign
Though that is just my opinion
Wireless networks left wide open broadcasting their SSID is no different than posting a huge neon "Comeon In" sign
Though that is just my opinion
Ethically, as well as legally, you have no rights to share someone else's wireless connection without their permission. And presumably, the ISP providing internet service at another person's house restricts usage to the household computers, not allowing the connection to be shared by other neighbors. Internet connection sharing is just as unethical and illegal as sharing cable TV service with a neighbor.
We don't demand that people apply maximum locking technology to their houses or cars. We expect people to apply reasonable caution, but we don't say that if a house is unlocked, the possessions are free for the taking. The same is ethically true of a wireless network. If you "stumble" across it, your nicest option is to politely tell your neighbor, suggesting that he/she apply a password, much as you might remind a neighbor to close a window before they go on vacation.
I can understand being less sympathetic to the victim of trespass when they haven't used good locks, but that's not the same as saying "come on in.
We don't demand that people apply maximum locking technology to their houses or cars. We expect people to apply reasonable caution, but we don't say that if a house is unlocked, the possessions are free for the taking. The same is ethically true of a wireless network. If you "stumble" across it, your nicest option is to politely tell your neighbor, suggesting that he/she apply a password, much as you might remind a neighbor to close a window before they go on vacation.
I can understand being less sympathetic to the victim of trespass when they haven't used good locks, but that's not the same as saying "come on in.
By comeon in, I dint' mean the owner was inviting the visit.. I ment he as asking for a visit.
If you put up a neon light over your house saying "hey, I'm out of town, I don't have an alarm, and my house is wide open" do you think you'd have anything left when you got home? .. Basicly it's the same concept. You turn on your laptop, see an open network, and you're surfing
I agree with most of what you posted jlshelton.
The way I see it is that everyone (well unless they're living under a rock) know's what issues are involved with implimenting wifi in their home or business. TV, News mediums, movies, books, etc have all covered war driving, and the like.
And we're expected to believe he wasn't aware of the risk, and or didn't know how to implement a layer of security. But he was proficient enough to identify an unauthorized connection to his Linksys(or whatever) wireless router had taken place?
We're not talking about a high level hack here, we're talking more than likely about some knuckle head who happened to see a open wireless connection and though "wha-hoo, free internet"
I've done it while on the road a couple of times, purely by accident.. but it happened
Yes it's wrong, and should be delt with in the proper manner. With things the way they are, users and to an extent the legal system can't allow much more user ignorance.
But that is only my opinion
If you put up a neon light over your house saying "hey, I'm out of town, I don't have an alarm, and my house is wide open" do you think you'd have anything left when you got home? .. Basicly it's the same concept. You turn on your laptop, see an open network, and you're surfing
I agree with most of what you posted jlshelton.
The way I see it is that everyone (well unless they're living under a rock) know's what issues are involved with implimenting wifi in their home or business. TV, News mediums, movies, books, etc have all covered war driving, and the like.
And we're expected to believe he wasn't aware of the risk, and or didn't know how to implement a layer of security. But he was proficient enough to identify an unauthorized connection to his Linksys(or whatever) wireless router had taken place?
We're not talking about a high level hack here, we're talking more than likely about some knuckle head who happened to see a open wireless connection and though "wha-hoo, free internet"
I've done it while on the road a couple of times, purely by accident.. but it happened
Yes it's wrong, and should be delt with in the proper manner. With things the way they are, users and to an extent the legal system can't allow much more user ignorance.
But that is only my opinion
There is an FCC rule that says that once a radio wave is in the air it is open to the public. I am not sure how this applies, but there is a guy in court in my area who was selling bootleg satelitte boxes and that is his argument, of course it hasn't been in the news so I dont know the status of his case. Here is a link about this.
Bo
Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."
Bo
Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."
- Thread starter
- #12
Now we have a case in the UK, repoted by BBC Online.
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An old man who lives in the UK
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An old man
who lives in the UKThe way I see it is that everyone (well unless they're living under a rock) know's what issues are involved with implimenting wifi in their home or business. TV, News mediums, movies, books, etc have all covered war driving, and the like."
i think you're very wrong here Bitfuzzy. The number of open wireless networks i come across is massive (home but also companies). Pretty much all home wireless routers, ap's will work out of the box. Once it works -usually within 5 minutes- people don't bother looking at security.
If you broadcast your SSID and no security measures..aren't you inviting people to use it?? Obviously if you abuse the connection for spam, hacking etc, you're guilty.
CCNA, CCNP..partly
i think you're very wrong here Bitfuzzy. The number of open wireless networks i come across is massive (home but also companies). Pretty much all home wireless routers, ap's will work out of the box. Once it works -usually within 5 minutes- people don't bother looking at security.
If you broadcast your SSID and no security measures..aren't you inviting people to use it?? Obviously if you abuse the connection for spam, hacking etc, you're guilty.
CCNA, CCNP..partly
- Thread starter
- #14
A lot of things that are now charged for could better be provided free. But you can't walk into someone else's house if they leave the door unlocked, or even if they leave the door open.
In any case, it looks as if a strict interpretation is going to be enforced from now on. People who think they're doing nothing wrong should be prepared for the police and courts to take a different view of the matter.
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An old man who lives in the UK
In any case, it looks as if a strict interpretation is going to be enforced from now on. People who think they're doing nothing wrong should be prepared for the police and courts to take a different view of the matter.
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An old man
who lives in the UK- Status
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