Story on a whacked out Wi-Fi "theft of services" arrest. We don't know the whole story, but jeez... A felony arrest for surfing in front of an open network? The WLAN owner even said he left it open on purpose, "because his neighbors are older."
"Police say Benjamin Smith III, 41, used his Acer brand laptop to hack into Dinon's wireless Internet network. The April 20 arrest is considered the first of its kind in Tampa Bay and among only a few so far nationwide." Which begs the question: Is clicking "Connect" in Windows XP hacking? Now this person using an open network while parked in the street is being compared to a terrorist and pedophile before we have *any* facts. I'm going to keep paying $80 a month for Verizon EVDO. Maybe I can avoid a felony arrest for hacking an open hotspot. - Mike -----Original Message----- From: Wi-Fi Networking News Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 9:33 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Wi-Fi Net News] Yikes, That Guy Might Be Using Your Wi-Fi! By Glenn Fleishman Special to Wi-Fi Networking News Permanently archived item <http://wifinetnews.com/archives/005481.html> [1] Sort of hilarious over the top article about a fellow caught using someone else's Wi-Fi network furtively: The SUV driver apparently can afford a big old car but not a DSL or cable connection, which suggests nefarious activity. He was arrested under a law for unauthorized access to a computer network, a third-degree felony. Because the fellow was a) parked outside someone's home not just using a neighbor's leaky service, b) did it at 11 pm and c) was furtive, it's possible that he was engaged in untoward activity, but neither he nor prosecutors are talking. The problem with an arrest like this, of course, is that what is the value of the theft? 15 cents? Who is the victim--the ISP or the subscriber? It's a lot of money spent to prosecute a problem that can be dealt with by turning on security. If someone bothers to break through WEP for a home network, well, that crosses the line for sure. But this is just a strange case, reminiscent of the wrong-way driving, pantless Canadian, early morning kiddie-porn Wi-Fi signal thief. And one point of view was missing: for ISPs that don't care if you share, this isn't a crime or a problem. The monolithic ISP view is always represented by companies that think sharing is stealing. Speakeasy Networks is apparently by my research the only ISP of any scale that encourages sharing. I asked the CEO about this the other day at their pre-WiMax launch, and he confirmed it: they don't monitor, they don't care. They're selling you a pipe and you can make lemonade for the neighbors with the signal that comes out. URLs referenced: [1] <http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/04/State/Wi_Fi_cloaks_a_new_br.shtml> -- You can reach Wi-Fi Networking News at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Our postal address: 115 N. 85th St., Suite 205, Seattle WA 98103
