Wireless Access Ethics Question

If someone leaves a wireless network unsecured, it is ok to take advantage of this unsecured high-speed connection if the signal reaches you?

Does it make a difference if your use is not for nefarious purposes, but simply to gain access to a high-speed connection?

Has the law caught up to the technology yet? Or are we at the mercy of some people's somewhat spotty sense of ethics?

I have used open networks frequently. I am not spying or gaining access in order to cause harm...just to get on the net. I have had similar thoughts to yours, but I guess the fact that I have done it on many occasions shows what my true feelings are.

I look at it the same way I'd look at someone leaving a newspaper on a public bench. I'll pick it up and read even if it isn't mine.

Listen to this NPR clip (April 17, 2005 off of the archives) which features the New York Times columnist, Randy Cohen, discussing the ethics of piggybacking.

http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/ethicist/index.html

Read this first post about a man that was arrested for unauthorized access of a computer network, apparently a law in Florida (and maybe in other states).

http://forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-42007.html

I'm not sure that it's technically illegal everywhere. I don't think the law has caught up yet. I know that a lot of municipalities are offering their citizens free wireless access. I have also heard that if someone taps into your wireless and is caught doing illegal/unethical things (ie viewing/downloading child porn) you can get into a lot of trouble. I've heard of several cases of this. That is why anyone putting wireless into their home should protect it.

Salustra, drop me an email and I'll send you a video (56K warn) on someone who got busted here. Interesting story to say the least...

Hello All,
Salusta, I am just responding to your question, and am honestly stupid about the technology.
1.If it makes you guilty, then explore the legality of the situation by asking authorities
and follow their directions.
2.What is a nefarious purposes? To gain access to high-speed connection without paying for
it, is what? Sloppy seconds? It is getting a service that you are not paying for, even if
your purpose is not nefarious.
3.The law hasn't caught up with technology, but does quickly when it comes to when business
sees they aren't getting their money. It is not a matter of being at the mercy of some
people's spotty sense of ethics, it is, rather, a how our ethics are clouded and mixed up
that makes us have these struggles and stresses of what is right or wrong.
If you are afraid of getting busted, there are ways around of not getting caught.
If you care about what is right or wrong, then examine how it makes you feel.
In my reality, I would contact the authorities, and then take advantage of the service
until they fixed it.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

I am not sure if this is the same thing but almost all motels and hotels have wireless any more. I often stop and visit their lobby and fire up my computer. Sometimes I even use their guest computer.

I am seriously considering getting a Blackberry type device where you can get all your emails, surf the webb, open files and even access Roadfood. They are a little small and you have to have nimble hands. Much easier to carry arounds as they are just barely larger than a small phone. Most have a QWERTY keyboard.

Paul E.Smith
Knoxville, TN

It is illegal in Michigan to use a network without permission. A man was recently arrested and charged with a felony (which they plead down to a misdemeanor) for sitting in his car with his laptop outside a coffee shop that offered free wireless to its customers.

Yes, no one should have an unsecured network. But think about it this way...just because you leave your car unlocked, does that give someone the right to sit in it and listen to your stereo?

I have wireless at my residence as do all my neighbors. I have two in my house and their range is much longer than I expected. My neighbors have the same issue. I guess I could use theirs but what is the use. Just because I have access to wireless, does that mean I can access their email? I do not know. If that is the case, I am very exposed. I have never had a problem with that though.

I stayed at a Marriott the other day and the Hilton's wireless which was across the street was available. That happens to me all the time. It was stronger than the Marriott. I called and complained to Marriott's front desk and they told me to use Hilton's. They said their guest do it all the time as some of the guest at Hilton's do because at some places in their hotel, Marriott's wireless is stronger.

What do you do????

Personally, I do not consider it stealing as it cost them nothing and the majority of the time, I do it at a Marriott facility where I am a platinum member, I stay there more than a hundred nights a year and I have had manager after manager indicate that they hadno problem with me accessing even though I was not staying there.

I do not know the range of those things but it is farther than you think.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Not illegal in most places, the laws have not caught up as you said. If it were a sin I don't think it would be in the top 50. I'm not talking about the free connection that some places offer like Sundancer talks about either.

If your neighbor has wireless and it isn't encrypted they are a fool. Should you use it? Well that is for you to decide. I wouldn't. But I do a lot of other things like speed while driving that I consider just as wrong as this. As long as you don't cause them harm, no big deal.

I would recommend to them that they encrypt the signal just to protect themselves.

MikeS.

Next question, how do you encrypt the signal? I have wireless and don't have a clue on how far or where this signal goes. Chow Jim

My home wireless DSL Apple Airport network is password protected. If you want to use it you have to know the password.

i have been piggybacking for a long time. it seems senseless, to buy my own wireless, when there are so many around me to choose from. i dont think anyone is the wiser, nor does anyone suffer. during our trips up the the great north, we can stay on line, constantly, all the way to and through north carolina, but as soon as we hit virginia, no more free wireless is available, until we get back.
as a matter of fact, i am riding the wave as i write.lol
i think the wireless service plans oare grossly overpriced, and i have no guilt feelings about it. its a crying shame, to create a law against it. it should be a free public domain.

Encryption is doable, but a real pain in the you-know-what. You have to set up an encryption key and sync it with any PC using that wireless hub. The easiest thing to do is just password protect it as Davydd said. That's pretty simple and is usually spelled out clearly in the manual that cam with your wireless hub/router. If you no longer have the manual, you can most likely find it on the Internet. Google can be your friend.

I saw an article about a guy who repeatedly pulled up outside a small coffee shop to use the free wiFi ... Let's face it the guy is a boor.

I live in a building with 40 condos and there must be 20 signals I can pick up in mine ... some are encrypted, some aren't. I keep my own so I can have an ultra strong signal ... anyone is free to use it if they can pick up on it. In this building I don't worry about anything malicious happening.

A travelers hint: At the airport, get near the club rooms and you can usually pick up a valid signal for free.

If someone leave their signal open, in my opinion, they are as much as leaving the welcome mat out. But we owe it to ourselves not to be boor-ish.

Here's a link to the story and video of the Coffee House incident:
http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?S=6546307

You can pull up in the front of most hotels/motels/ and the signal is strong enough.

About everybody I know has wireless. It is ubiquitous in my neighborhood and certainly so in the business district. More so where motels are located.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by bassrocker4u2

i think the wireless service plans oare grossly overpriced,

I wasn't aware there was such an animal as a "wireless service plan". Unless you mean the cards you can buy so your own personal laptop is always online through Verizon or someone similar. What's being discussed here is wireless networks...you know...putting a wireless router on your home (or business) broadband connection. Wireless routers, other than their initial cost of purchase, do not require a separate service plan, nor do they cost any more, than having a broadband connection in the first place.

There are wireless service plans. If you go to some coffee shops they password protect their wireless network and charge you if you want to use it. Minneapolis is putting in a city wide wireless service but you will have to pay $20 per month to access and use it.

Typically in your home you pay for a service to your house be it DSL or cable. That passes through a model where you can direct connect to it with an ethernet cable. But you also have to have a service provider to be able to access the Internet. So you pay for the service and you pay for the Internet provider. For most people that is bundled together and they don't realize it is two separate pieces of the Internet puzzle. I get DSL through Qwest for $15/mo. but I contract for Internet service through a small local company for another $15/mo.

As long as you direct connect no one else can piggy back onto your service arrangement. But if you add a wireless router then you and anyone else can use the service connection and your Internet provider unless you password protect the Internet provider access. I make my password access automatic on my computer so it appears transparent to me, I don;t have to type it in each time I turn on the computer but if a guest comes to my house I would have to give them the password for them to access the wireless connection. If I lived in Minneapolis I would not need a service, modem or wireless router and would only have to pay $20/mo. instead of $30/mo. I am assuming it would have to be password protected with a sign on procedure to use it if you are paying for it. I'm not sure how that would affect public libraries, coffee shops, etc. that now currently have essentially free unprotected access. I'm afraid it might kill the incentive for them to provide that service.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

Typically in your home you pay for a service to your house be it DSL or cable. That passes through a model where you can direct connect to it with an ethernet cable. But you also have to have a service provider to be able to access the Internet. So you pay for the service and you pay for the Internet provider. For most people that is bundled together and they don't realize it is two separate pieces of the Internet puzzle. I get DSL through Qwest for $15/mo. but I contract for Internet service through a small local company for another $15/mo.

That is nothing like how internet/wireless service works where I live. I pay Comcast for internet service, they provide me with a direct-connect modem. I have attached a wireless router to it, through which I can access the internet from any computer in my home. The network is password-protected. There is no extra charge to Comcast or anyone else for the wireless access, I simply had to purchase a wireless router.

quote:

Originally posted by felix4067

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

Typically in your home you pay for a service to your house be it DSL or cable. That passes through a model where you can direct connect to it with an ethernet cable. But you also have to have a service provider to be able to access the Internet. So you pay for the service and you pay for the Internet provider. For most people that is bundled together and they don't realize it is two separate pieces of the Internet puzzle. I get DSL through Qwest for $15/mo. but I contract for Internet service through a small local company for another $15/mo.

That is nothing like how internet/wireless service works where I live. I pay Comcast for internet service, they provide me with a direct-connect modem. I have attached a wireless router to it, through which I can access the internet from any computer in my home. The network is password-protected. There is no extra charge to Comcast or anyone else for the wireless access, I simply had to purchase a wireless router.

I believe I mentioned that. Comcast made it transparent to you. Comcast is charging you for the connection AND the gateway to the Internet in one bundle. Since I don't use cable I am not sure how much leeway you have in selecting your Internet gateway provider but in DSL Qwest bundles with MSN but I was smart enough to know I could select my own Internet provider in a local company with more reliable service and a cheaper price at the time I originally signed up. I pay two separate entities for my service that is less than what I would have to pay Qwest alone for their bundle.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd
I believe I mentioned that. Comcast made it transparent to you. Comcast is charging you for the connection AND the gateway to the Internet in one bundle. Since I don't use cable I am not sure how much leeway you have in selecting your Internet gateway provider but in DSL Qwest bundles with MSN but I was smart enough to know I could select my own Internet provider in a local company with more reliable service and a cheaper price at the time I originally signed up. I pay two separate entities for my service that is less than what I would have to pay Qwest alone for their bundle.

Ummm...no. Comcast is charging me for service, period. There is no such thing as separate entities for the gateway and the provider. There is no bundle with someone like MSN, my ISP is Comcast. But even if there were, I still wouldn't be paying someone EXTRA for the wireless router I've attached to my modem...I pay the same price for the connection that comes into my home, regardless if I have a network (either wired or wireless) or not.