free wifi?

[princealfie]

Come on guys, we should have free wifi everywhere like South Korea does.

 

[megfilmworks]

Heard of a guy who went to a restuarant's parking lot who offered free wifi to thier customers(checked his email) and he had a $500 fine to pay. It was ruled even though the service was free, the implied right to use it was for paying customers even though that was not posted anywhere. Just because you dont lock something up doesnt give anyone the right to steal it.

That would be a drag, jeez I could by another iPhone instead.
But if you own a iPhone, ATT wireless is your provider. I think other McD customers have to pay if they are not ATT customers.

 

[kdarling]

What are you saying!! That NYC is filled with pedophiles?? 😱
Murderers and thieves, maybe! Would-be terrorists, sure!

Ooops, sorry 😀

Didn't mean to imply any such tendencies in Manhattan. Too many other strange tendencies there, though, to leave your hotspot open and free.

(whispering) But I hear there are... people who never had drivers' licenses! 😱 They just WALK everywhere!

Can't trust those bipedal philes.

 

[EricNau]

Using your neighbor's wifi can also fall under the category of cable theft, if their internet is accessed through a cable network.

Federal Statute 47 U.S.C. 553

(a) Unauthorized interception or receipt or assistance in intercepting or receiving service; "assist in intercepting or receiving" defined

(1) No person shall intercept or receive or assist in intercepting or receiving any communications service offered over a cable system, unless specifically authorized to do so by a cable operator or as may otherwise be specifically authorized by law.​

 

[skubish]

If there is open wifi in public, I am going to use it. With so many free public wifi available, it is easy to argue that I thought if was a free network.

I think legal issues come down to intent. If someone installs a directional high gain antenna on their house to borrow wifi, well that is obviously wrong. But if I am using a standard device (iphone, laptop, etc) and I can pick up a signal in my house or in public, I see no issue in using it.

 

[Sobe]

http://iphone.jiwire.com/

 

[rdowns]

^^Thread on it here

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/328137/

 

[marksman]

Heard of a guy who went to a restuarant's parking lot who offered free wifi to thier customers(checked his email) and he had a $500 fine to pay. It was ruled even though the service was free, the implied right to use it was for paying customers even though that was not posted anywhere. Just because you dont lock something up doesnt give anyone the right to steal it.

That is my point. They are misapplying the law. The law being used in these cases specifically have to do with illegally accessing a computer.

If the guy who got that fine and the resources and means to fight it, who would likely get it overturned at some level.

I don't consider it stealing because nothing is required to access it. If you compare it to satellite signals for instance, you actually need a decoder box and/or card. You need to actually do something specifcally with the intent of using that signal.

With open WIfi, you simply need to have to connect to it.

The bottom line is it is ridiculous for the standard to be ANYTHING other than take any effort to secure your network, or be sharing it. Because there is NOTHING different between someone who is sharing wifi for free and openly and someone who just chooses not to secure their own network. It is entirely unreasonable to ask people to make that deterimination when it is trivial for a person to secure their network.

 

[kdarling]

... Because there is NOTHING different between someone who is sharing wifi for free and openly and someone who just chooses not to secure their own network. It is entirely unreasonable to ask people to make that deterimination when it is trivial for a person to secure their network.

There's nothing different about two unlocked doors in an apartment building either. Except that one is yours and you belong in it, and the other is not yours, and you don't. Just because you can turn the knob easily doesn't make it right.

I agree that it's hard to tell what's free and what's not. But it doesn't change the need to take responsibility for one's actions. At least admit when you're stealing.

 

[darngooddesign]

There's nothing different about two unlocked doors in an apartment building either. Except that one is yours and you belong in it, and the other is not yours, and you don't. Just because you can turn the knob easily doesn't make it right.

I agree that it's hard to tell what's free and what's not. But it doesn't change the need to take responsibility for one's actions. At least admit when you're stealing.

Your analogy is wrong, the unlocked doors is trespassing not stealing.

Unless you take something from the person its not stealing. Show me where the person is missing something by your using their wifi. Are you stealing if you listen to someone playing a radio (XM in this case since that's a subscription based model)?