| 13-01-2009 10:15 PM |
| Tzer2 |
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If you play your music so loud that it can be heard outside your house, would it be immoral or illegal for passers-by to dance to it on the street?
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You can't put morality and legality together like that, they're two totally separate things.
Morality = whether something is right
Legality = whether it obeys local laws
If there's a local law saying you can't use open connections without prior permission, then it is illegal to do so. I'm not trying to defend such laws, I'm just saying that such laws exist.
Banning dancing might seem extreme but I think the Taleban did so in Afghanistan, so pretty much everything is potentially illegal in one country or another.
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here is not a single legislator on the planet with worldwide jurisdiction.
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All I'm saying is that in SOME countries, or some parts of countries, it is illegal to use open connections. In some it's legal, in some it's illegal, and if you don't know one from the other you could end up being prosecuted.
If you're going to travel round the world (which this article is about) then it's a good idea to find out what the local laws are in the places where you intend to use Wi-fi. (Some countries have had total bans on wi-fi altogether because the radio frequencies aren't authorised for public use.)
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| 13-01-2009 08:14 PM |
| Free WiFi |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tzer2
The morality of it may be open to question, but the legality often isn't.
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If you play your music so loud that it can be heard outside your house, would it be immoral or illegal for passers-by to dance to it on the street?
There are about 200 countries on the planet. Some countries may have strict laws on using open wireless signals, but there are plenty of places where it's 100% legal to go online through open WiFi routers if their radio signals spill into the public roads. There is not a single legislator on the planet with worldwide jurisdiction.
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| 12-01-2009 10:16 PM |
| Tzer2 |
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If you don't want others to use your open Wi-Fi network, it is your responsibility to ensure that the signal of your wireless router stays on your own property and doesn't extend into the public streets.
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The problem is perhaps a lack of awareness, many people don't know they're supposed to secure their connection because they don't have to do that with any other wireless devices (such as mice, mobile phones, headphones etc).
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I think the legality of using of open hotspots is very much open to question.
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The morality of it may be open to question, but the legality often isn't.
Some countries have laws explicitly forbidding access to any connection (open or closed) without prior permission, so people should be careful.
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| 12-01-2009 05:01 PM |
| bartmanekul |
Given that all wifi routers etc now come passworded (usually with the password stuck on a label on the device), if you find an open one its either meant to be open or a very old one.
So if I found one being openly broadcast, with no password, Im going to assume I can use it.
As to the legal standpoint, thats another issue.
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| 12-01-2009 04:57 PM |
| Open Wi-Fi |
Your garden is private property, the street next to your garden is not.
If you don't want others to use your open Wi-Fi network, it is your responsibility to ensure that the signal of your wireless router stays on your own property and doesn't extend into the public streets.
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| 12-01-2009 04:09 PM |
| CotH |
Unregistered: I couldn't disagree more. That's like saying that I have granted you permission to walk on my garden because I haven't put an electric fence up to stop you climbing over!
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| 12-01-2009 03:15 PM |
| Unregistered |
When I try to connect to a WiFi hotspot, my N95 requests access from that hotspot. It then either gets a response along the lines of "what is the password/key", or it gets one along the lines of "OK, come on in". I would suggest that in the latter case, permission had been granted.
If the owner of the hotspot didn't want to allow me in, he/she should have configured the security options. Just my 2 pen'orth.
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| 12-01-2009 02:18 PM |
| CotH |
buster
According to UK acts: Communications Act 2003 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990, it's an offense (in the UK, obviously). The key phrase is "without permission"; so I would say unless you have asked the owner, or you can see a sign of some sort (whether that be a physical, on a big pole sign, or the SSID of the access point is something like: "Free Public Wifi"), you haven't understood that you have permission.
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| 12-01-2009 12:16 PM |
| Unregistered |
Doesn't the default N-Series clocks do a good enough job with world times already? Pick your location, add the city to your world clock list and then set it, what could be easier? 
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| 12-01-2009 12:07 PM |
| buster |
I think the legality of using of open hotspots is very much open to question. For example; how do you know that a hotspot you find is either not a public hotspot (as many cities now provide this) or hasn't been intentionally left open by the owner, for others to use?
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| 12-01-2009 10:41 AM |
| CotH |
Lawbreaker!
Dear Ed,
"[readers are advised to practice the art of finding open Wi-Fi hotspots in suburban neighbourhoods! - Ed]"
Isn't this illegal in most jurisdictions?
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| 12-01-2009 09:58 AM |
| slitchfield |
How to: Build Your Own Travelling Swiss Army Knife
One of the delights of the web is just how much useful stuff there is out there for travellers. From running round on a trip and trying to remember which hotel you are booked into, how to get there and working out if you have enough credit left in the local currency, is exactly what a smartphone is good for. While there are a number of “Travellers Toolkit” applications out there, with a mix of free and premium functions, most of these services can be found for free online or replicated with the built in S60 applications.
Read on in the full article.
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