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Using "unlocked" Access Points may be a Felony
Under some states I believe using an open access point without permissions could be a felony and land you in prision. I wouldn't advise people to do it.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070522-michigan-man-arrested-for-using-cafes-free-wifi-from-his-car.html
Slightly alarmist reaction, given the hint?
I believe your comment is slightly off topic. If "wifi" comes up in a search on Google maps, and they have an open wifi network to connect to, then you're not accessing someone else's network without permission. On the searches I've done, it's almost always a coffee shop trying to get people to come in and stay for a while. Of course, people should use common sense when connecting to networks they don't own, but in general I think your point, while valid, is a little alarmist and knee-jerk.
Using "unlocked" Access Points may be a Felony
Using the internet to find news articles will most always allow us to find somewhere that something is supposedly illegal. With this out of control policeman looking for something to do, perhaps he found someone that he could cause trouble for. But before the foil hats get all worked up, just ask your local policeman if he thinks it is illegal. He probably doesn't think so because it is probably not. Use common sense and we'll all be ok. Let's not get all paranoid over this stuff.
Not so alarmist, but prison unlikely
In the UK a man was fined for repeatedly hijacking other people's wireless networks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4721723.stm
Still think it's alarmist (given context of hint)
But the hint implies that you're using a businesses public wifi network the way it's supposed to be used. So, by commenting that it may be a felony, I could see scaring people off from a legitimate use of a business' wifi network.
Using "unlocked" Access Points may be a Felony
Some people seem to have misunderstood. Of course it is all right to use a free, public wifi. However, the additional hint that if you can't find one, you can probably park near a large condo and find several PRIVATE wifi ports that are not locked down does raise questions. Using one of them raises both ethical and legal questions. It is unethical because it represents the use of someone else's bandwidth without permission (and possibly at some cost to them, depending on their ISP contract). Although the risk of being charged is slim, in many jurisdictions trespassing on someone elses wifi is a telecommunications crime.
Using "unlocked" Access Points may be a Felony
Seems to me that using open wifi access can't really be a crime. One doesn't steal the IP address. Your iPhone requests an IP address and the open system gives one away. You asked first.
Using "unlocked" Access Points may be a Felony
Perhaps it shouldn't be a crime, but it is, at least in some countries. As long as that information is made clear, then everyone can make his own choice, as usual.
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