Bicy Wifi Shanghai - 1,585 Views, 1 Comment
|
Previous Article « And you thought Gmail was a privacy nightmare!
Read Next Article » Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! It’s an instant message!
Here’s an interesting twist on war-driving*: war cycling. [*For those of you not familiar with the term, 'war-driving' refers to the act of driving around, wifi-enabled laptop in hand (or on the seat or lap next to you), and finding unsecured wireless access points through which you can send email - usually spam.] Now cometh Yury Gitman, of the City of New York, with his “Magicbike” - the wifi-enabled bicycle. But this is not, a recent BBC news report tells us, just a nifty alternative to your favourite internet cafe. Oh no. The Magicbike can, we are told, “fulfill an important function in bringing internet connectivity to areas ignored by the traditional telecommunications industry.” Like the section of sidewalk beneath the apartment containing that unsecured wireless access point. But at least Gitman is aware of the issues, as BBC news goes on to explain that “Mr Gitman admits that borrowing bandwidth from nearby open networks is something of a legal grey area.” In the same way that stealing cable from your neighbour is something of a grey area. Explained Gitman in the BBC article, “There is not a one world legal answer but it is arguable that it is sometimes illegal.” That, at least, is true. For certain values of “sometimes”. Like, as in, almost always.
Follow Anne on Twitter
Friend Anne on Facebook
Twitter Explained in Plain English
Previous Article « And you thought Gmail was a privacy nightmare!
Read Next Article » Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! It’s an instant message!
Read more:
» Google Quietly Launches Google Wifi - Free Urban Wifi
» Avis Offering Wifi in Rental Cars
» Free Google Wifi for Mountain View, California
» Feds Propose Tax on Wifi Use!
For additional similar stories check out our archives on Everything Else
NOTE: We never, ever, ever will recommend any product or service on this site that we have not regularly used ourselves and do not wholeheartedly believe in. That said, in some cases after being very pleased with a product or service, we may enter into a relationship with the provider of that product or service such that if someone purchases that product or service based on our recommendation, we may get a small payment. Such payments go towards the upkeep of the Internet Patrol.
Hi,
I’m glad to see that you know “everything.” In fact using an open access point IS legal grey area. The legality changes depending on what country or state you are in and who the Internet Service Provider is. So things change on a case by case basis. It is true that many people “feel” something like this is “always” illegal, but the actual Law is less certain on this ground.
Comment by Yury Gitman — 6/3/2004 @ 5:11 pm