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Man Charged for Using Cafe's Free Wi-Fi

by Terrence O'Brien on May 29, 2007 at 04:14 PM

Stealing Wi-Fi
Should you pay a $400 fine and get 40 hours of community service for stealing Wi-Fi? That's exactly what happened to Sam Peterson II, who piggybacked on a Sparta, Michigan cafe's wireless network to check his e-mail.

The Police Chief of Sparta, Michigan, Andrew Milanowski, spotted Peterson and felt that a law was being broken, but he had no idea which one. Neither did Peterson or the owner of the Re-Union St. Cafe. Both were shocked to learn that he was committing a crime.

The law, which is meant to protect the public from computer hackers, has only been on the books since 1979, and was updated in 2000 to cover Wi-Fi access. The law, called "Unauthorized Use of Computer Access," basically says that accessing a computer system without authorization is illegal. According to the Police Chief, this covers hopping on Wi-Fi networks. The law allows for a punishment of up to five years in jail and a $10,000 fine. Peterson was offered a drastically-reduced punishment, though, considering most people's ignorance of the law and the fact that the cafe's Wi-Fi network is free and unsecured.


From Tech Digest


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Tags: breaking+news, law, top, wi-fi, wireless

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