Re: Anyone ever prosecuted for leaving their window open?

On Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:25:12 +0100, Cynic <cynic_999@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Wed, 22 Aug 2007 23:47:23 +0100, Alex Heney <me8@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

No idea, but anyone having an open WiFi connection or even one
encrypted with WEP (usually crackable in minutes) is just asking for
trouble.

What sort of trouble do you have in mind?

Well if he is using your connection for criminal purposes, that could
get you in a lot of trouble.

IMO, so long as you know your neighbours reasonably well, that
scenario is no more likely than a visitor to your house doing the
same.

Of course it is more likely. Even if you do know your neighbours,
moderately well, which is by no means universal nowadays.

You will normally know perfectly well if any visitor to your house is
using your connection. It is very unlikely that any such would do so
without permission.

Unless you are very careful about making and checking logs, you are
unlikely to ever know a neighbour or stranger is accessing your
unsecured wirel4ess network.


It is only neighbours who would be likely to be using your
connection regularly, and very occasional criminal use by people in
the street outside your house will be unlikely to attract the
attention of the police (unless it is serious terrorist related
activity)

Or any of the other activities which get regularly monitored, such as
accessing known child porn sites.

It is certainly not a very likely scenario. But it is by no means out
of the question.


And yes, we all know they would have very great difficulty in
convicting you of anything without evidence that you were the person
using the connection, but that will not stop them taking your computer
away for months, and generally making things awkward for you while
they attempt to find that evidence.

As I said to Periander, IMO that is a serious issue wrt the way that
these sorts of suspected crime are investigated. Rather than attempt
to get everyone to make their computer and credit card details 100%
bullet-proof (and open WiFi connections are only one way such
sucpicion can come about), the emphasis should be on preventing the
police from seriously inconveniencing people unless and until
corroborating evidence is found.


Yes, that may well be what *should* happen

But it doesn't.

And so long as it doesn't, you *could* get into that sort pf trouble
by leaving your wireless network unsecured.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.
To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom
.

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