Busted For Using Library Wi-Fi Outside The Library

sevej writes "Keith Shaw, in his weekly column "Wireless Computing Devices" (Network World Fusion), reported on a recent entry in AKMA's Random Thoughts where AKMA was using a public WiFi network outside of a library. A policeman approached him and asked that he only access the Internet from within the Library and hinted that Federal Laws against "signal theft" were applicable. Oh, and btw, we're not talking about a person that looked like your stereotypical 'hacker'; AKMA is an ordained priest."

Comments

RTFA.

[JNighthawk]

He didn't. He assumed and even when he knew AKMA wasn't using wifi, he still told him to leave.

Re:signal theft ?

[Xenna]

I'm sure Apple marketing would rather have it differently, but 'Airport' is not a generic name for Wireless Access Points.

Re:signal theft ?

[mwvdlee]

You mean similar to the whole "Walkman" thing?
Did you ever notice that only Sony is allowed to call their walkman's a walkman?

As long as Apple stops other companies from using the name, they lose no rights to the trademark if the rest of the world uses it as a generic name.

Re:How does one advertise a public WiFi hotspot?

[wcbarksdale]

Redirect all traffic from unknown users to a local webserver, which contains a usage agreement. After the user clicks "Accept" add their MAC address to the list of known users, and maybe remove it after 24 hours or so.

Re:Worrying

[djmurdoch]

That said, why didn't the guy simply walk into the library, sit down at one of their nice tables and use his laptop on the Internet in the Library using the wifi? The cop may not have been right, but there is nothing more dangerous than a cop who is willing to be wrong.

One of the followup articles explained that the library was closed at the time.

Another one said

The Atheneum has just now posted a policy stating that the wifi connection is available only between a half-hour after they open to a half-hour before they close, on days that they're open. The stated reasonn is "for better maintenance and operation." Case closed.

Re:How did they know?

[tobinibot]

Read it again, he said the library was closed. Otherwise, he would have gone in to finish up.

actually thanks to HBO in 1981..

[soloes]

if this was in the USA, actually thanks to HBO in 1981 it is NOT illegal the officer was completely wrong. the law is very clear on this. It is not illegal to take any signal out of the air. it is however illegal to decrypt a signal. That is why HBO ended up having to scramble their signals. They were sueing provate satellite dish owners and manufacturers for copyright infringement. The US supreme court held that if it was not encrypted, it was indeed public domain.
Secondly, the FCC has detemined certain channels to be public use. the 2.4 gig range used by WI/Fi is among those.