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Finland To Legalize Use of Unsecured Wi-Fi

Posted by Soulskill on from the it-turns-out-not-to-be-a-swedish-trap dept.

Apotekaren writes "The Finnish Ministry of Justice has started preparing changes to a current law that criminalizes using unsecured wireless hot spots (Google translation; Finnish original). The reasoning includes the impossibility of tracking unlawful use, the ease of securing networks, and the lack of real damage done by this activity. It is also hard for a user to know if an unsecured network is intended for public use or not. The increased ubiquity of legal, open networks in parks, airports, and other public places has also influenced this move by the Ministry of Justice."

5 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. Gateways by suso · · Score: 4, Funny

    Finland To Legalize Use of Unsecured Wi-Fi

    Kids, don't you know that unsecured wifi is just a gateway. Pretty soon you'll be cracking into stuff with stronger encryption. Then where will be? Sitting on the side of the road in some bad neighborhood looking asking to borrow a power jack.

    1. Re:Gateways by ArbitraryDescriptor · · Score: 4, Funny

      Kids, don't you know that unsecured wifi is just a gateway. Pretty soon you'll be cracking into stuff with stronger encryption. Then where will be? Sitting on the side of the road in some bad neighborhood looking asking to borrow a power jack.

      That's bullshit. I didn't even try unsecured wifi until I had spent countless hours on stolen AOL passwords. If anything it's the illegal nature of wifi that draws people into harder stuff. By forcing them to hangout in seedy locales, like underground poetry bars, they are exposed to things like hipsters and thick-rimmed, non-prescription glasses; things that they would have never even heard of otherwise!

    2. Re:Gateways by natehoy · · Score: 3, Funny

      One tweet, man, that's all I need to send. Please, man, it's been hours, and I'm hurtin' real bad. I just need a couple kilobytes, man. Please. Help a guy out?

      --
      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
    3. Re:Gateways by ArbitraryDescriptor · · Score: 5, Funny

      Those trial CDs had your name all over them. I looked up to you, what was I supposed to think? Then the way you just left them lying around... what did you think was going to happen?

      I learned it from watching you, dad. I learned it from watching you!

      *sobbing ensues*

  2. Re:There's got to be a better way... by laejoh · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's one t-shirt that won't get any RIAA approuval!