Many of us take free wifi at coffee shops for granted. Many, if not most – or even all – coffee shops now offer free wifi, and lots of people don’t give it a second thought before connecting to and using the free wifi. Some people even make a point of going to a coffee shop and using their wifi rather than using their own home wifi, particulary if they are going to do something of questionable legality. But even if you are not planning on doing anything illegal, certain actions on your part while logged onto the coffee shop’s wireless Internet could cause that coffee shop to have their Internet services suspended! Betcha never thought of that before, did you?
A coffee shop that we frequent has posted this very eloquent notice, following such a suspension. It’s worth reading, if only to remind yourself that your own actions could have unintended consequences on the very coffee shop you so love frequenting.
Here is their note:
Attention Wifi Users
Please Help!
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
In order to continue to provide WIFI service we are asking your
cooperation in two vital areas:1. Security Issues, Please ensure your security software is up to
date. Certain worms and/or viruses (conficker, downadup) cause
our ISP to suspend all of our services (including Credit Card
processing) because they pose a significant threat to the internet
community at large. This may be avoided by having up-to-date
security software and following recommended procedures for
scanning and fixing security issues, even then problems may
continue. If you have noticed problems please have your
computer professionally analyzed. Removal tools are available
from Microsoft Symantec, and Bitdefender.2. Copyright Infringement. Recently all of our services were
suspended due to 12 complaints (Rango, Arrow, True Blood [4
times], The Walking Dead, Zoolander, Dexter, Rabbit Hole, Italian,
Shrek Forever After) under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
of 1998 (DCMA). This covers illegal downloading of and/or
sharing of copyrighted material (Movies, TV shows, Music,
Pictures, Text etc.) We have been warned and are under threat of
permanent loss of all internet services (including Credit Cards.)
Once notified by copyright owners of an infringement our ISP (all
ISPs) have no choice but to take action. The DCMA is now being
actively enforced whereas before it was not so much. Continuing
to do this will ruin it for everyone.The {coffee shop name} WIFI community is absolutely dependent on
your help and cooperation with these vital matters.
Did you catch that? People were illegally downloading movies at the coffee shop. That’s just plain rude (not to mention calling into question their taste in movies – Zoolander??)!
So, please think before you compromise your favorite coffee shop’s Internet access. If it’s not ok to do from home, it’s not ok to do from someone else’s wifi.
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
A former apartment complex stopped offering free wifi in the clubhouse for the same reason. It’s pretty sad.