Fuddland

It’ll take a few more days for my broadband connection to be transferred to my new address, so I’d been back in the dark ages of dial-up since I moved down — until today, when I discovered that some nice person in my neighbourhood has an unsecured wireless network available for me to use. Okay, so I have to be leaning out of my bedroom window with a metal coathanger in my teeth, but it’s still free!

It amazes me that these things are so common; if ever I get myself a wireless connection sorted, you can bet your bum it’ll have some form of protection from illicit usage; surely it can’t be that hard to set up?

[Oh, if you’re the person whose connection it is I’m using, then yes, it is very hard to make it secure. Nigh on impossible, in fact. I’d not even bother trying to find out how to do it. Really.]

#1

Jann | 2005 / 09 / 01 – 12:47

Come on David, that’s not in the spirit of the interweb. Share the bandwidth - maybe the owner of the connection you’re using is doing so deliberately. Maybe they’re already spying on you.

You can secure all your pr0n important documents and still share the wireless love y’know.

[Edited by commenter – 12:48]

#2

David | 2005 / 09 / 01 – 12:52

Re #1: Cor, can you? Well I never knew that. Makes sense, now that I think about it for more than a jiffy, of course. In that case, I solemnly swear to possibly share my wireless connection, if I ever get one of my own, unless I decide not to.

#3

Gordon | 2005 / 09 / 01 – 13:03

I leave mine open as it’s just a wireless USB thingy.. less than 100m range which means it’s only the next door neighbours who could use it..And once I get my 4MB upgrade (free!) then will I really care?!! ;-)

#4

Richard | 2005 / 09 / 01 – 21:31

And when they trace the terrorists’ emails back to the originating internet connection and MI6 come smashing down your door in the dead of night, what will you do?

#5

Jann | 2005 / 09 / 02 – 15:42

Richard. Deep breaths, now.

And…relax.

#6

Jann | 2005 / 09 / 17 – 23:09

Can I bring your attention to this?

#7

David | 2005 / 09 / 18 – 00:08

Re #6: Now that is interesting. I’ve actually stopped piggybacking since my dedicated DSL connection was transferred, but the repercussions of this ruling could be significant.

One difference is that Straszkiewicz actively sought-out wi-fi connections, choosing his location based on the connection, whereas I happened to find one available from the comfort of my own home. It may be that this is one of the “sketchy details”, along with precisely what he was using the network for, that made the case criminal rather than just a bit cheeky.

I don’t think Mr Janes joy-riding analogy is quite right [it always an offence, the point is to prove that the accused carried it out], but along the same lines, if you leave a car unlocked with the keys in the ignition, it doesn’t make it legal for someone else to drive off with it. As you say above, some people share their connections intentionally — it must be [or, at least, it should be] the case that the owner of the network decides whether or not to prosecute someone for piggybacking.

So I’d better buy a box of chocolates for every neighbour in a 100 foot radius… ;)

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