Wardriver arrested for snagging coffee shop signal
By Evan Blass 
posted June 23rd 2006 6:05PM
posted June 23rd 2006 6:05PM
In yet another blow to [Via The Wireless Report]
posted June 23rd 2006 6:05PM
In yet another blow to 
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Wrong, this arrest has other connotations.. it's "borderline intrusive". WiFi is still in a grey cloud regarding regulations. A Hot Spot should both secure the signal and make profit out of a nice splash page with advertising and not getting into trouble with the consumer.It's a public place so, Hot Spots, be smart use it as a banner or a newspaper ad. Worst case, price for connection should be very, very low.
I don't know, as someone who regularly can't get a seat at the local coffee shop because so many people are camped out at tables w/ their laptops, I'd prefer it that the guy was outside in his car logging on. It would free up a seat. Of course, this is just from the point of view of a customer...
Considering the employee thought he was "borderline creepy" this guy must have been detracting customers. I certainly don't want to go to a coffeehouse with a truck parked outside and a guy in it whenever I stop by. Never mind use their WiFi, as that guy is sure to try and access my computer.
The real reason they kicked him out was because he was creepy, not because he used an unsecure network -- that was just the justification. They should have just got his truck towed for parking on private property / customer parking.
I sympathize for him but that had to be done for their business.
He wasn't arrested for freeloading. He was arrested for refusing to obey a police officer (not sure what the citation would be).
He wasn't arrested for being a registered sex offender either. They found that out after-the-fact.
He's going to get a small slap on the wrists for refusing to obey the police officer's warning (unless he was out on parole).
Now, I wonder what a registered sex offender is doing freeloading on an unsecure wifi connection, a connection that makes his Internet use effectiely completely anonymous, for three months straight. Think about it. I think if the police have reasonable cause to search his laptop, he's gonna be in a world of hurt.
Wow, I never thought that this glorified suburb of Portland that I call home would ever be seen on Engadget ;)
I agree that if the network is unsecured and there is nothing stating the terms of use, no crime was committed here... It should be simple enough for Brewed Awakenings to secure their network and give customers the password.
By the way, that place makes a *really* good espresso milkshake. Mmmm.
This is wrong. Why didn't they just confiscate his laptop or something? If you're a 20-year old guy and you're being imprisoned for service theft, you'll be marked for life (especially if you are a geek). Using unprotected wi-fi's should be just like using radio, if you can catch a signal you can listen for free.
A useful technique used at my school was to power down the signal, the IT dude used a laptop to make sure the signal reached to the corners of the room he wanted the WiFi in.
Same thing could've been done with the coffee shop!
Since there is public and private Wifi networks, the law should specify how the owner should inform poeple what kind of network it is. The best solution is to say, if it's encrypted, then it is private, else it is public. Why? Because if it is encrypted, you have to CRACK the key to enter. Generally, the law says cracking something is bad. But communicating with something in a kind way has nothing wrong :S It is like speaking with someone in the street.
For those who think that poeple should not connect onto clear Wifi's because poeple should not steal open cars, I have to say that car is not intended to be used by everybody, and is a material (owned) thing. In the opposite, there are a lot of free Wifi's. Also, the right to communicate (without cracking) is something completly different.
Claudiu, Are you also in the camp that think its okay to keep a wallet you find on the ground full of credit cards and money or do you return it to the owner. Just because something is available to you does not mean it is yours.
Why not just use a linksys wrt54gs router in the coffee shop, and use a dd-wrt firmware with the transmit power tweaked down just enough so that the range of the signal doesn't leave the walls of the coffee shop? Let's be imaginative people.
Or, laptop manufacturers need to start encoding the internal wifi radio's MAC address on a barcode sticker on the bottom of the laptop that coffee shop employees can scan at the register when the customer purchases something that will add that MAC address to the MAC filter on their wireless router for a preset lenght of time....and no more.
This encourages the person to keep buying something and leaves the setup painfully simplistic. MAC filtering is generally preferrable to WEP anyway.
I see a lot of people saying, "If they left it open, it's their fault."
Stop for a minute. Pull your head out of whatever orifice it's shoved into. Give it a shake. Now, continue reading.
If you leave your home wi-fi network unprotected, is it alright for someone to use it? Assuming you don't have the knowledge to protect it, does that lack of knowledge entitle everyone in your neighborhood to use your internet access? You pay for it. Is it right?
I'm willing to venture a guess on this... It's not alright. You'd(any of us would) be royally pissed if someone were leeching your bandwidth. It's no different just because it's a business providing the service.
I, and everyone I know, are aware that STEALING INTERNET ACCESS IS WRONG. Theft of any sort is wrong. You simply shouldn't do it, and you're at risk of being prosecuted if you do. That's it! There are no "buts."
I wanted to avoid using analogies, but just in case what I've said above is too advanced, here you go... Sitting outside the business and using their service without compensating them in some fashion is closely akin to running your own drop for the power lines outside your house. Technically it's your land on top of those lines... You can dig on your property if you want, and the line cuts across your property as well. The power company provides the service to everyone else in your neighborhood, provided they're willing to offer compensation for it.
The moment you connect your own drop, YOU HAVE STOLEN SERVICE FROM A COMPANY. Again, that's it. There is no "but."
That's my $0.04.
If I stand outside a venue with live music and a cover charge can they arrest me for enjoying the music and not paying?
How about if I can see into a stadium from my apartment and I watch the game?
How about if starbucks plays music only for their al fresco patrons, but I happen to be walking by?
War-driving refers only to the collection of SSIDs and their locations, technically if you connect and get an IP address via DHCP you've broken the law (I.E. your a thief). Claidiu, I could care less if he is only 20 and now branded for life, he was warned before charges were pressed, he deserves what he gets. He is NOT innocent. If he weren't warned, then I would say that this was unjustly harsh.
There are 2 things inherently wrong with this. Both parties are (possibly) to blame. First of all, one should NEVER connect to and use another person's/business's signal without their permission, he should be warned first ny the coffee shop (which he was), and then the coffee shop has every right to press charges. Second,the coffee shop should have a splash page explaining their terms at a minimum (which they may have had), but what would be awesome (from their point of view) would be to link an authentication system to their cash registers and require you to type in a code from your receipt in order to connect.