>Just come forward and explain the legal basis for your statement, I hope
your general statement is valid worldwide.....or be next time more specific

Hi Rudy,

Well, in the UK using someone else's wifi connection without explicit
permission is an offense under the Communications Act 2003. If an
unauthorized access is made to a computer running on the unsecured network,
it is an offense under the Computer Misuse Act (i.e. you are hacking into
their network)

http://blog.itsecurityexpert.co.uk/2007/11/uk-wifi-theft-is-rife.html

Of course there is a grey area here. If you accidentally logged onto another
person's network by mistake you should be fine. Especially if you already
have your own connection. The police would have to prove intent, but if
you're hopping onto their network regularly and don't have your own
connection then there are reasons for a prosecution.

It seems the law takes a similar approach in the US - this is a case of a
man in Seattle (http://www.newswireless.net/index.cfm/article/2317 and
http://money.cnn.com/2005/07/07/technology/personaltech/wireless_arrest/).
He was charged with wireless trespassing, a third degree felony.

I don't know if this is illegal in Russia - maybe Misha know this as he also
pointed this out. It's not hard though to see which way the wind is blowing
on this issue though. I have seen some users leave messages on the SID along
the lines of "feel free to use my wifi" - in which case permission has been
granted. In most cases though I suspect the person paying for the connection
would be less than pleased to know others are stealing this service from
them.

Not securing your WiFi is not the same as inviting people to use it. If you
leave your car unlocked it is still a crime for you to steal it (no matter
the stupidity or lack of technical ability of the owner).

HTH

Nick

e3internet
http://www.e3internet.com

Skype: Nick_Wilsdon
US Tel: (415) 508-4120
UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 3287 6977
RU Tel: +7 499 5029700

Personal Blog: http://NickWilsdon.com
http://www.RussianMarketer.com
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