Posted on 05/31/2007 12:51:13 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
A Michigan man has been fined $400 and given 40 hours of community service for accessing an open wireless Internet connection outside a coffee shop.
Under a little known state law against computer hackers, Sam Peterson II, of Cedar Springs, Mich., faced a felony charge after cops found him on March 27 sitting in front of the Re-Union Street Café in Sparta, Mich., surfing the Web from his brand-new laptop.
Last week, Peterson chose the fine as part of a jail-diversion program.
"I think a lot of people should be shocked, because quite honestly, I still don't understand it myself," Peterson told FOXNews.com "I do not understand how this is illegal."
His troubles began in March, a couple of weeks after he had bought his first laptop computer.
Peterson, a 39-year-old tool maker, volunteer firefighter and secretary of a bagpipe band, wanted to use his 30-minute lunch hour to check e-mails for his bagpipe group.
He got on the Internet by tapping into the local coffee shop's wireless network, but instead of going inside the shop to use the free Wi-Fi offered to paying customers, he chose to remain in his car and piggyback off the network, which he said didn't require a password.
He used the system on his lunch breaks for more than a week, and then the police showed up.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I’m sitting in the apartment of a friend. Ethernet. I do not espouse the concept of stealing bandwidth. Some common sense needs to be applied when someone broadcasts a signal IMO.
The sign says Customers Only now!
You can go to CNN and search WIFI for the story. CNN Pipeline is now free to all too.
http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=1657129446
This links should work.
The sign says FREE WIFI CUstomers Only - but my guess is it the caveat was added later AS A RESULT OF not prior to the case.
THe owner said in the article that he could have come in and used it for free and not bought anything.
Where does it say that?
Even when you put up a sign that reads "Free"?
Seems to me that once you've done that, you've relinquished those "rights" by offering your bandwith to anyone with the ability to log onto it.
Now.... if you had qualified access to your bandwith with a sign that read, "WiFi access is provided to paying customers only", that would be different, because you have taken steps to limit access to your bandwith to certain individuals (in this case, paying customers).
But to simply state to all, "Free Wifi" - well, what the heck does that imply?
- John
Certainly. But in this case the coffee shop owner DID GIVE PERMISSION, both before and after the fact. The local Suidae chose to make a case out of this.
If you cannot see the analogy to the case in question, I don’t know what to say.
You called it stealing, Now I see you are trying to weasel around and claim you meant something else... and that your concern is something else...
But earlier you said...
“This guy was using internet being paid for by someone else without their permission. That is stealing pure and simple. I don’t know what is so hard to understand about that.”
So which is it? You gonna be man enough to admit your first post was wrong? You said he was stealing. now you admit he wasn’t. Which is it?
Smack ‘em. They are fools and this thread is full of them. I have nothing but contempt for them.
Still haven;t decided if it’s that they are “jack booted thugs” at heart or just stupid. Either way, they are a scary lot and a threat to conservatives. Being a conservative does not mean being a statist/near fascist. Jeepers!
Bad politicians and cops set fines to be painful but less costly than fighting false charges.
I agree. I would have chipped in a few bucks to his defense fund. I get the impression the guy wasn’t real “savvy”.
Where did you read that?
The person at the cafe explicitly stated that he could have used the wifi inside even if he didn't buy anything.
There policy was Free Wifi TO PAYING customers. Fees for non-customers.
I don't understand why people have to make things up when they have to know they will get called on it.
From the article you obviously didn't read:
"He could have just come in the cafe, even if he didn't have any money, I would let him get on it," May said.The case has surprised locals, including the owner of the barbershop that initially called police, as well as Donna May, owner of the coffee shop.
Sheesh.
Oh. Then the poster that posted "Free WIFI" was incorrect.
THe owner said in the article that he could have come in and used it for free and not bought anything.
I think the owner said he could come in and use it if he didn't have any money.
You have been asked twice to back that up. Put up or shut up.
Yea. Like how them made up that "Free Wife" sign.
Yea. Like how them made up that "Free Wife" sign.
Nonsense. That is not what this is about.
Would it be respectful if the guy would at least buy a cup of coffee in exchange for the service? Certainly. But it turns out that it is a FELONY in this town if he doesn't. This is ~ridiculous~.
Do you think that it should be a felony for him to not buy a cup of coffee, even though the owner of the service didn't mind what he did? That he should lose his right to vote and have all his guns taken away? That's what FELONY means. You're OK with that?
I think it is silly.
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