http://www.zonkio.com/illegal-to-access-unsecured-wifi_835.html Up-to-date tech news blog that showcases recent web development insights, photography, and tech law articles. Washington, DC Metro based internet technology news blog. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:06:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://www.zonkio.com/illegal-to-access-unsecured-wifi_835.html/comment-page-1#comment-344 Claude Aiken Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:35:43 +0000 http://www.zonkio.com/?p=835#comment-344 It is an interesting question. The point you are making is a good one (i.e. having open WiFi comes with a presumption that access is authorized). However, there are the cases where a technophobe gets a wireless router with their cable service, doesn't intend for anyone to access their router, but doesn't know that they're leaving it open. In this day and age its probably getting ever rarer, but it makes the "authority" part of the statute a little more ambiguous. It is an interesting question. The point you are making is a good one (i.e. having open WiFi comes with a presumption that access is authorized). However, there are the cases where a technophobe gets a wireless router with their cable service, doesn’t intend for anyone to access their router, but doesn’t know that they’re leaving it open. In this day and age its probably getting ever rarer, but it makes the “authority” part of the statute a little more ambiguous.

]]> http://www.zonkio.com/illegal-to-access-unsecured-wifi_835.html/comment-page-1#comment-339 Ryan Lyford Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:13:41 +0000 http://www.zonkio.com/?p=835#comment-339 Think of radio stations - could WTOP say, "everyone can listen to our station except Ryan - despite the fact that we are transmitting our signal into his house." If they had an encrypted sideband running on the same carrier (i.e. a Muzak station) that, to gain the encyption key you needed a subscription, then I would agree that they have made reasonable efforts to protect their "product". However, if they tried to limit access to their unencrypted morning traffic update, (which I can demodulated by readily available commercial products) I would think the radio station would be in the wrong. You can think of an unencrypted router the same way. Your neighbor's router is transmitting information into your apartment. They have the ability to reduce the transmitter power on the router, but opt not to. They have the ability to encrypt, but opt not to. I still wouldn't want to be the test subject in a court room, but an interesting topic. Think of radio stations – could WTOP say, “everyone can listen to our station except Ryan – despite the fact that we are transmitting our signal into his house.” If they had an encrypted sideband running on the same carrier (i.e. a Muzak station) that, to gain the encyption key you needed a subscription, then I would agree that they have made reasonable efforts to protect their “product”. However, if they tried to limit access to their unencrypted morning traffic update, (which I can demodulated by readily available commercial products) I would think the radio station would be in the wrong. You can think of an unencrypted router the same way. Your neighbor’s router is transmitting information into your apartment. They have the ability to reduce the transmitter power on the router, but opt not to. They have the ability to encrypt, but opt not to. I still wouldn’t want to be the test subject in a court room, but an interesting topic.

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