Techdirt: California Taking Steps To Outlaw WiFi Piggybacking?

By , August 31, 2006 4:50 pm

Techdirt: California Taking Steps To Outlaw WiFi Piggybacking?
The California legislature has passed a law requiring the manufacturers of WiFi products to put warning labels reminding users to password-protect their networks, and the state’s governor is expected to sign it. While the bill doesn’t outlaw piggybacking — the practice of simply using an available, open access point — some are wondering if this is the first step towards making it illegal, since it notes “there is disagreement as to whether it is legal for someone to use another person’s WiFi connection to browse the Internet if the owner of the WiFi connection has not put a password on it”.

I don’t have my WiFi password protected and don’t plan to.  No particular reason in the area I live in as my nearest neighbors live between 600 and 800 feet away and I don’t think any of them use wireless connections anyway.  Also as long as I leave it open I can honestly say that I have no idea who might have downloaded whatever from this ip address.

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