Thou Shalt Not 'Piggyback' in Michigan ...
Unauthorized use of WIFI a felony...in Michigan!
... and they call Californians nuts!
[:D][:D][:D]
How would you like to lose your gun rights over this? Talk about an a/h police chief and prosecutor. He must have had an absolute tool for a lawyer also.
A Michigan man who used a coffee shop's unsecured Wi-Fi to check his e-mail from his car could have faced up to five years in prison, according to local TV station WOOD. But it seems few in the village of Sparta, Mich., were aware that using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection without the owner's permission--a practice known as piggybacking--was a felony.
Each day around lunch time, Sam Peterson would drive to the Union Street Cafe, park his car and--without actually entering the coffee shop--check his e-mail and surf the Net. His ritual raised the suspicions of Police Chief Andrew Milanowski, who approached him and asked what he was doing. Peterson, probably not realizing that his actions constituted a crime, freely admitted what he was doing.
"I knew that the Union Street had Wi-Fi. I just went down and checked my e-mail and didn't see a problem with that," Peterson told a WOOD reporter.
Milanowski didn't immediately cite or arrest Peterson, mostly because he wasn't certain a crime had been committed. "I had a feeling a law was being broken," the chief said. Milanowski did some research and found Michigan's "Fraudulent access to computers, computer systems, and computer networks" law, a felony punishable by five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Milanowski, who eventually swore out a warrant for Peterson, doesn't believe Milanowski knew he was breaking the law. "In my opinion, probably not. Most people probably don't."
Indeed, neither did Donna May, the owner of the Union Street Cafe. "I didn't know it was really illegal, either," she told the TV station. "If he would have come in (to the coffee shop), it would have been fine."
But apparently prosecutors were more than aware of the 1979 law, which was revised in 2000 to include protections for Wi-Fi networks.
"This is the first time that we've actually charged it," Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Lynn Hopkins said, adding that "we'd been hoping to dodge this bullet for a while."
However, Peterson won't be going to prison for piggybacking. Because he has no prior record, Peterson will have to pay a $400 fine, do 40 hours of community service and enroll in the county's diversion program.
[:o)]
... and they call Californians nuts!
[:D][:D][:D]
How would you like to lose your gun rights over this? Talk about an a/h police chief and prosecutor. He must have had an absolute tool for a lawyer also.
A Michigan man who used a coffee shop's unsecured Wi-Fi to check his e-mail from his car could have faced up to five years in prison, according to local TV station WOOD. But it seems few in the village of Sparta, Mich., were aware that using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection without the owner's permission--a practice known as piggybacking--was a felony.
Each day around lunch time, Sam Peterson would drive to the Union Street Cafe, park his car and--without actually entering the coffee shop--check his e-mail and surf the Net. His ritual raised the suspicions of Police Chief Andrew Milanowski, who approached him and asked what he was doing. Peterson, probably not realizing that his actions constituted a crime, freely admitted what he was doing.
"I knew that the Union Street had Wi-Fi. I just went down and checked my e-mail and didn't see a problem with that," Peterson told a WOOD reporter.
Milanowski didn't immediately cite or arrest Peterson, mostly because he wasn't certain a crime had been committed. "I had a feeling a law was being broken," the chief said. Milanowski did some research and found Michigan's "Fraudulent access to computers, computer systems, and computer networks" law, a felony punishable by five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Milanowski, who eventually swore out a warrant for Peterson, doesn't believe Milanowski knew he was breaking the law. "In my opinion, probably not. Most people probably don't."
Indeed, neither did Donna May, the owner of the Union Street Cafe. "I didn't know it was really illegal, either," she told the TV station. "If he would have come in (to the coffee shop), it would have been fine."
But apparently prosecutors were more than aware of the 1979 law, which was revised in 2000 to include protections for Wi-Fi networks.
"This is the first time that we've actually charged it," Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Lynn Hopkins said, adding that "we'd been hoping to dodge this bullet for a while."
However, Peterson won't be going to prison for piggybacking. Because he has no prior record, Peterson will have to pay a $400 fine, do 40 hours of community service and enroll in the county's diversion program.
[:o)]
0
-
quote:Originally posted by rogue_rob
shouldn't the shop owner and not the police chief be the one charging him?This point seems to escape some people.
I suppose it's just not as much fun to dog him.[;)]0 -
quote:If your apple tree hangs over my property I am intitled to all of the apple overhanging my property
not my idea :it is law.
as far as the radio waves, that band is public property, turn over your wireless box and read the warning.
quote:this device complies with fcc rules part 15
operation is subject to the following two conditions.
this device may not cause harmfull interference. and must accept any interference that may be recieved includine interference that may cvause undesired operation0 -
In my state it is only ilegal if you do it to defraud or mess with the other persons computor, just using it is not a crime. 0 -
tryed to read your post but gave it up when I got to WIFI What in the *&** does that mean? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by GUNFUNCO
Another thought-you may think that it is too harsh in this instance (and I do as well) you may want to consider if this guy was using YOUR WIFI to download child porn-you might see it in a whole different light-especially when someone is knocking on your door to ask YOU about it.
I'm sorry, but you deserve to have people knocking at your door if you are so stupid as to have an unsecured wireless router. It takes all of 30 seconds to set a password on most routers.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Colonel Plink
quote:Originally posted by jonk
The way I see it it is like Radio. Once it is out in the air, and NOT SECURED then anyone is free to intercept and use it as they will.
This is a fallacy I have to explain to folks way too often.
If you bootleg music from a radio program and sell the tape or CD to your buds as a "Best of My Basement" mix, you are in violation of copyright laws.
If you bootleg the Rush Limbaugh show, which is copyrighted, you're in violation...
Radio waves are free to listen to.
Period.
Bad analogy. It would be a good one if I were selling the local coffee shop's WiFi services as my own- then it would be like my 'best of basement' mix.0 -
Well, I guess I WAS stupid as my router was not secured. I just fixed that but it took well over an hour on the phone with my router company to fix it. I live quite a ways from the road and other residences so I didn't worry about it too much, but since I don't want any trouble, I fixed the problem.
I won't call you any names back-I figure you must have enough problems if you've got to call others names.[}:)]0 -
Cyber-tempest in a cyber-teapot[8D] 0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
38 comments