You Could be Committing a Wireless Crime

Image: Wayda Dreamscape

When people go on-line they could be doing things illegal without even knowing it. For example, you go to a local Starbucks or McDonalds or any other big company store, they usually will have free unlocked Wifi. This Wifi is put there as a guest or client luxury and is not something that other people, who are not authorized to use it and take advantage of. When people are online, they are doing things that are illegal without even knowing it and even if they do know that it is illegal, they are almost sure that no one will catch them.

When you go on your phone or computer and need wifi, you almost always see an option that is unlocked and accessible. It turns out that this is stealing and an act of fraud. When you see an open unsecured wifi network, the person who owns that network is the one who is paying for the internet access. Most of the time they don�t intend for random people to use the network and take up more space on the network so they just leave it open. When they leave it open, it is basically telling random people to come and use it. If enough people begin to use the wifi, then the data that the wifi has to store information will fill up and the owner could lose their wifi, or find additional charges to the monthly bill. When people use others� free wifi, they are committing a crime according to the computer Fraud Abuse Act of 1986. This act states that if someone logs on to free wifi without authorization from the owner, then they can be arrested or fined for up to four hundred dollars but it is rarely ever enforced because it�s very difficult to detect. However, in 1986 they didn�t have wifi and because of the emergence of it, this act needs to be updated since the technology is better. Since the technology is better, more people hack and use the wifi unauthorized now more than before in 1986 when the act came out.

When you are using free wifi and you have the authorization to do so, make sure you take all the right precautions so that no one steals your information. First of all don�t go on any personal accounts unless you really have to for wrk or some family issue or necessity. When you log into something a small signal is released throughout the network so if someone is hacking the computer, then they have direct access to your device. If you have to go on to a personal account, then make sure that you log out after you are done.

Also, make sure your wifi is locked and secure with a password. You don�t want to be the person who is getting piggybacked all the time because that could lead to wifi suspension or additional fees that you, as the owner, have to pay. Also when you leave the wifi open, it allows hackers to get into the wifi easily and access information about you and all who are logged on to the network. If your wifi is locked, then it would take a hacker with specialized equipment to get into your wifi.

On the other hand, people do this all the time and never get caught. There has only been one case of the Computer Fraud abuse act coming into affect since 1986, when it was created. I mean when you need wifi why would you want to pay for it or take the time to put in a code when you could use a perfectly free and accessible network with the click of a button. And its not like anyone will catch you and bring you in to the police, unless you are hacking which is a whole different story.

In conclusion, if you see an open network, don�t log onto it because in the rare case you do get caught, you don�t want to be the one to pay the fine. Also keep your wifi locked and secure with a password so that no one can get in without your consent. I you do this and follow all of the security protocols, then you and your wifi will be just fine.

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Reflection:Updated 29 May, 2014

When I first took on this project I though it would be a drag. I had never thought it would be as fun as it actually was. Yes, there were some parts of this that challenged me. For instance I had never used Noodletools before. I also had never used Blogger. These two programs were great tools that I learned how to use because of this project and I will probably use them again in the future. Before this project I had never even thought about writing a blog mainly because I didn't see myself as a blogger, but now I realize that it's not so bad and I can do it to just like everyone else in the world. While I was doing my research I definitely learned things. I learned about a new law that will now prevent me from logging on to random networks. I also learned what to o and what not to do when on different networks to make sure that my accounts stay nice and safe. Even before all of this I had to choose my topic. Like I said before, I wasn't very interested in this, but the turning point occurred when I looked at some of the articles to choose the topic from. Every time I would click on an article they would get more and more interesting. I finally settled on the one about piggybacking because it is something that I have done and I am sure most people have done too. I also thought that more people should know if they are doing something illegal because I know I would want to know if I was.

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