Of Wireless Mooching and Stupid Neighbours

Much has been discussed in the blogsphere and local newspapers on the issue of Wireless Mooching:

In Brief this is what happened:

17 year old teen wants to use internet but mum says "No"
At some 3am, teen walks around estate, stops at roadside
and uses his wireless card to tap into a unsecured network
A nothing-better-to-do neighbour who was driving past found him suspicious, an arguement ensued and here we have a court case


So is tapping into a wireless network without permission an offence?

Yes, says SG law, the 17year old kid could have been jailed for 3years or face a fine, both acts resulting in a criminal record.. instead, he was sentenced to probation..

What an unlucky kid..

Now now, if you have a wireless network in your home, please have the cow sense to just do a simple level of protection, such as using the basic function of WEP.. this will prevent some neighbour from reporting another kid and making him appear in court..

Looking at the issue from yet another angle, if tapping into such unsecured network is indeed criminal, would the wireless signals from other modems being found in my room be a sign of trespass? I would then like to sue the 7 users of wireless modems that distribute their signal into my airwaves and thus results to less space for my wireless connections!







Secure your damn networks, it might save a kid