Comments on: Use Open WiFi - Go to Jail

By: kg

kg — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:55:54 +0000

so if I have a bad lock on my door you can still walk into my house. If i don’t get the best lock? how about windows, can I open them in nice weather, or is that just asking for it?

Felony is a bit harsh tho

Personally I think having semi open wifi would be cool all around, restricted bandwidth firewalled from your network. If everyone had it, it would really make for a low cost wireless ‘village’

By: why

why — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:50:54 +0000

People can’t we all get along. He committed the crime now he has to do the time. Barretta said this in his tv show. No matter if he took a line up to the man house and plugged it in a jack or sat in front of his house for hours, he is guilty. Next time learn the LAW of the land or you too will be in BIG trouble. Have a nice day!

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 20:41:15 +0000

I think it’s a joke they even did this. How can you charge someone for accessing an open Network? They need to charge the person with the open network NOT the person accessing it. I’d like to see how this ends up.

By: Henry from Yakima

Henry from Yakima — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 20:41:34 +0000

Stealing is stealing, but it requires intent. But a felony for using a wifi network. I set my laptop up in my truck when I travel. If I hit a wifi stop on a break, I check weather, traffic and road reports. Many times I don’t know if this is a free service provided by the rest stop, coffee stop or whomever. If you don’t secure your network, it’s your problem. I would view if very differently if he hacked into the network!
(BTW - My laptop also auto connects to unsecure networks.)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 22:03:42 +0000

my notebook has a Wi-Fi finder that comes on when I power up. It’s always looking to connect. In Florida it’d have me committing felonies constantly.

By: MildBill

MildBill — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 13:13:51 +0000

What some of the people who wrote in do not understand is that this casual user/surfer is being accused of a *felony*. This is not a silly misdemeanor or a simple fine. If this person is found guilty, he will be a convicted *felon*.

I was recently in Atlanta and was staying with some Luddites with no Internet. I had to check my e-mail. What was I to do? I found a network two houses down. The owner caught me , but said it was OK. According to Florida’s laws, *any* access to another person’s WiFi network is a felony. That would include a walk through the local mall.

Do not be too quick to judge this poor guy. He is in for a hellish ride through the legal system. The experience will scar him for the rest of his life.

By: SkipAAA

SkipAAA — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 17:59:04 +0000

It’s a subscribed service. Every month I have a bunch of bills that I pay: water, cable/internet, gas, electric, etc. I’ve been been any kind of law student or law enforcement person, I’m just an average Joe in the United States trying to make a living. Last I knew, I thought it was illegal for any of those paid and subscribed services to be borrowed by any of my neighbors. Nobody runs a plumbing line, or a long electrical extension cord from my house, wired or not, because _I_ pay for the services, not them. Of course the most common is that people will (un)willingly share cable television/internet lines between residences. My local cable company actually checks and does audits to prevent this activity (thus ensuring they get paid for each person/residence using the service). I’m not implying that any/all service providers do this same practice, and especially wirelessly, it would be impossible. I maintain a secure wireless net at home. I installed it myself so it is my resposibilty to maintain it myself. There is nothing that can’t be done without knowledge obtained by reading the included instruction manual, or help files provided with the hardware. I’m not a technician with a soldering iron replacing some voltage rectifiers inside the case of my wireless router. (I have changed my own oil in my car, byt my car’s instruction manual doesn’t include directions for me to recharge my air conditioning) RE: ED… provide the technology with instruction to use it safely and properly. If it BREAKS or fails to function properly, then take your car to a mechanic or replace it. If you leave the keys in your car with the windows down, shame on you. It’s not right that I take your car (internet service) just don’t make it easy for me to do so.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 00:10:58 +0000

Leaving your WiFi open isn’t like leaving the door to your house open, it’s like putting your belongings on your front yard with a sign that says “free to a good home”.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 07:55:30 +0000

RE: Even if i let the door of my hous open, nobody is allowed to walk in and take what he wants.

LOCK YOUR DOOR!

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 05:05:28 +0000

One of the missing pieces - he was sitting in front of the house for well over an hour with the laptop surfing (or whatever) on the Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi owner spotted him. The man confessed to conecting to the Wi-Fi when arrested by the Police. Not much technological savvy need for that.

Right or wrong, Chapter 815.06(1)(a) of Florida Statutes makes it a felony to: willfully, knowingly, and without authorization: Accesses or causes to be accessed any computer, computer system, or computer network. He didn’t have authorization and he accessed the network. If I leave my front door open, that does NOT give you permission to come into my house and ‘access’ the contents. Should the Wi-Fi have been secured - yes. Then again, there are a lot of people that just can’t figure out how.

BTW, orgoguy, do you repair your automobile? NO?!? I guess we should take that complex technology away from YOU.