Releech me
Via slashdot, more fun and games relating to using an open wifi connection (or ‘unauthorised access’ as some like to call it). I wrote about this in some detail a while back, and this case (albeit with different legislation) is a useful reminder that these issues won’t go away. (Although, if we heed what Panorama is saying (story passed on off-blog by Eoin), no-one should be hanging around hotspots anyway!)
From the news reports, I see this gem:
Milanowski didn’t immediately cite or arrest Peterson, mostly because he wasn’t certain a crime had been committed. “I had a feeling a law was being broken,” the chief said.
Hmm.
I think this is the relevant legislation:
A person shall not intentionally and without authorization or by exceeding valid authorization do any of the following:
(a) Access or cause access to be made to a computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network to acquire, alter, damage, delete, or destroy property or otherwise use the service of a computer program, computer, computer system, or computer network.
(Source, what I think is relevant is italicised)
And the Irish legislation is even more (unintentionally) hostile…
Worth keeping an eye on all this.
Comments
Pingback from Lex Ferenda » Wifi Watching - Journalists Jumping To Conclusions
Time: December 11, 2007, 6:21 pm
[…] This will be a useful addition to the debate on wifi sharing, which I’ve been thinking about (here, here). And so I read on. And there is some criticism of the proposal and some discussion of the […]
Comment from Daithí
Time: May 28, 2007, 10:10 pm
John Naughton notes this great illustration of said Panorama story:
http://www.wellingtongrey.net/miscellanea/