Wireless net

[clf-gas]

picking upon the poster.

He/She aint picking on me Mr Softus Sir rather he/she is trying to draw you

 

[megawatt]

You're trying to wear your underpants outside your trousers again

Breezer was spot on in his post earlier about the man arrested for sitting outside someone's house on his laptop using their wireless connection, it's reported on the BBC News 24 site ...

The man arrested in a street in west London is at least the third person to be accused of breaching the law by taking internet service without permission.

The Communications Act 2003 says a "person who (a) dishonestly obtains an electronic communications service, and (b) does so with intent to avoid payment of a charge applicable to the provision of that service, is guilty of an offence".

There are also suggestions using somebody else's wireless could come under the Computer Misuse Act, usually used to combat hacking and electronic fraud.

Crystal clear methinks

 

[Softus]

You're trying to wear your underpants outside your trousers again

Okey dokey - do you want a last attempt at making it civil and non-personal?

 

[tim west]

What happens when the person is tapping into a free broadband account? it states trying to avoid a charge but what if the service doesnt charge anyway? is this a loophole?

 

[clf-gas]

You're trying to wear your underpants outside your trousers again

Breezer was spot on in his post earlier about the man arrested for sitting outside someone's house on his laptop using their wireless connection, it's reported on the BBC News 24 site ...

The man arrested in a street in west London is at least the third person to be accused of breaching the law by taking internet service without permission.

The Communications Act 2003 says a "person who (a) dishonestly obtains an electronic communications service, and (b) does so with intent to avoid payment of a charge applicable to the provision of that service, is guilty of an offence".

There are also suggestions using somebody else's wireless could come under the Computer Misuse Act, usually used to combat hacking and electronic fraud.

Crystal clear methinks

MW, RE-read what Breezer posted, (first page, third or fourth .
post)

T`was I who posted the link and it aint illegal in this country

 

[clf-gas]

What happens when the person is tapping into a free broadband account? it states trying to avoid a charge but what if the service doesnt charge anyway? is this a loophole?

Head nail on the, comes to mind

 

[megawatt]

I'm not sure it's just about cost Tim what about appropriate use?

someone sits outside my house using my internet connection and downloads squigabyes of child pornography all attributed and traceable to my ISP account?

I would say that the communications act referred to above would be equally concerned with that issue ... Wouldn't it?

 

[Softus]

What happens when the person is tapping into a free broadband account? it states trying to avoid a charge but what if the service doesnt charge anyway? is this a loophole?

I think there are two issues, tim.

One is the hacking, which isn't needed when a WLAN is unsecured, and the other is use of the service. As I said at the outset, the latter could be construed as theft, but in craig's case there is no hacking, and no access to programs and data, therefore there's no misuse.

Also, it's not fraud, as someone asserted earlier.

 

[tim west]

I was picking up on the quote

The Communications Act 2003 says a "person who (a) dishonestly obtains an electronic communications service, and (b) does so with intent to avoid payment of a charge applicable to the provision of that service, is guilty of an offence".

If there is no charge for the service in the first place ie a free service, could an offender get off with it?

 

[clf-gas]

I'm not sure it's just about cost Tim what about appropriate use?

someone sits outside my house using my internet connection and downloads squigabyes of child pornography all attributed and traceable to my ISP account?

I would say that the communications act referred to above would be equally concerned with that issue ... Wouldn't it?

Point taken MW

clf-gas sits outside my house using my internet connection and downloads squigabyes of child pornography all attributed and traceable to my ISP account?

Now I never thought about that, though I`am sure some have, yourself included

 

[tim west]

I'm not worried as i have put a 96 byte password as the WPA keyword so I think it's above averagely secure but just wondered if a loophole could be there re the avoidance of any charge.

 

[Softus]

If there is no charge for the service in the first place ie a free service, could an offender get off with it?

It's logical to argue that, if a service is truly free, that nobody using it could be legitimately accused of doing so "with intent to avoid payment of a charge applicable to the provision of that service".

However, there aren't [m]any services that are entirely free, so it's an academic point. For example, many subscribers have free and unlimited broadband, but only because it comes with a telephony package for which they pay.

In the various domestic ISP Ts & Cs that I've read, I've seen no mention of preventing family, or visitors, or neighbours, from using a service. If craig's only misdemeanor is to use, without permission, a service in a way that he believes costs his neighbour, and his neighbour's ISP, nothing extra, then he has no intention of avoiding payment.

None of this changes the probability that most people would regard the seeking of permission as a common courtesy.

 

[megawatt]

Softus: In light of the News 24 Communications Act 2003 story do you still believe that it is not illegal?

It would seem that the police in London think it is

If anyone wants to try and make any sense of the full Communications Act 2003 be my guest (its massive) ... Far too late for me though so I'll bow out gracefully and leave you all to it

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/ukpga_20030021_en_1

 

[Softus]

megawatt, I regret to have to report that I timed you out, i.e. I'm longer interested in what you write on this topic, so goodnight to you.

 

[clf-gas]

Softus: In light of the News 24 Communications Act 2003 story do you still believe that it is not illegal?

It would seem that the police in London think it is

If anyone wants to try and make any sense of the full Communications Act 2003 be my guest (its massive) ... Far too late for me though so I'll bow out gracefully and leave you all to it

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/ukpga_20030021_en_1[/QUOTE]

OK just read this, it only applys to them down south so i`m ok