« Steve Mann's Nessie | Main | Eco-car more efficient than light bulb »
July 06, 2005
Busted for surfing on open wifi networks.
Slashdot | Man Arrested for Using Open Wireless Network: "In Tampa Bay, a man has been arrested for using a wide open WiFi AP.... 'It's no different if I went out and bought a Microsoft program and started sharing it with everyone in my apartment. It's theft,' said Kena Lewis, spokeswoman for Bright House Networks in Orlando."
Full story State: Wi-Fi cloaks a new breed of intruder
This is really interesting for a variety of reasons. I am always looking for open wifi networks, though I've never actually used one. Some of my friends have. But open networks are problematic. On one hand they speak to free and open access, on the other they represent a conduit for illegal activities. I'm not a 'law and order' man, but when this could include the anonymous sharing of child porn, then my ears perk up. I think there are better ways of tracking down social criminals than busting people for using open wi-fi networks. Like I said, this is purplexing.
Posted by jason at July 6, 2005 07:35 AM