Wireless Networks - Is It A Boon?
USE OF WIRELESS NETWORKS
Using Wireless Networks Could Land You in Jail.The next time you log on to the internet at a cafe wireless hotspot, you could be breaking the law. A rarely-used law could result in serious consequences for some wi-fi web users. Eric Waggoner is surfing the internet using the wireless network at a local Beaner’s coffee shop, but he’s not a customer, and though he doesn’t know it, he could be breaking the law. Eric Waggoner, wi-fi user: “It’s stupid. That would be like charging someone to use the bathroom.”
Waggoner is one of millions of wireless web users that log on to networks at local shops and restaurants, but using a restaurant’s wireless network without making a purchase is actually a felony, and it’s punishable by up to five years in prison. In late April, a Grand Rapids area man who regularly used a restaurant’s wi-fi network while sitting in the parking lot was charged with “unauthorized use of computer access.” He was fined $400 and given 40 hours of community service.
Adam Mossoff teaches cyber law at the Michigan State University college of law. He says the law was originally designed to protect the public from computer hackers, but was revised in 2000 making it illegal to use a wi-fi system without permission. Many users like Waggoner disagree, and say wireless networks have become part of public access.
Eric Waggoner: “If you’re going to put something out there, people who can access it should be able to use it.” Still, even though it might be convenient, doing business on a computer without giving business where it is due could land wireless internet users in big trouble.
