As of late there has been a big issue in the legality of wi-fi internet access. I’ve cruised through the web to find dozens of stories of men getting fined and arrested for using the wi-fi from outside the store, or not buying anything from the café and being arrested or fined because they are unauthorized to use the wi-fi. There is no problem in my eyes if the internet was pay to use, or the Terms of Service stated you must by a at least a Danish to have legal access to their wi-fi, but a lot of times that is not the case, the service was free and unsecured, it was just the business owner did not like shady people sitting in cars outside their business for hours un-end with a laptop.
The latest news story on this topic I’ve seen didn’t state if the service was free and open or not. Although it did state this man from
If he did indeed “hack” onto a secured access point for free internet, he should be punished, it was clearly not meant to be free and open to everyone.
As a general word of advice for anyone who wonders if they are breaking the law while on a wireless network, if you have to work to log on because of securities it’s not legal or ethical. Other wise if most likely no legal action can be brought against you for just accessing once for a short while, but to be safe, use the internet inside the café and do buy some coffee to support the business offering the internet.
A word of caution if the internet is from a residential home, accessing even an unsecuried connection is now becoming popular belief to be considered hi-jacking.Related Links:
Michigan man fined for using free Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Mooching and the Law
1 comment:
Just a word to the wise. Every residential home should secure their wireless internet connection. It's easy for others to gain access to your network that way.
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