Dear Dish on Internet Theft
Dear Dish:
Is it okay to steal a neighbour's unsecured Internet signal? To provide context, it's not for any illegal activity or downloads that may slow it up. What if I just borrow and not steal it per se. It's somewhat intangible, much like the ethers or vapors. And I don't know what either of those things are. Basically, the Internet just falls from the sky and travels through the air like the wind while dancing on glittery pink clouds.
What is the nature of morality? Will man's future be determined by "Did you steal that Internet signal?" versus "Did you steal that banana protector or hot dog thermos?"
Sincerely,
A Moral Contender
P.S. - Why is Internet capitalized? Seems like a cruel joke to me.
Dear Contender:
Your glittery description of the Internet does nothing to change the facts in this case. Didn't you learn anything from the Simpsons episode where Homer decides to steal cable?! The pamphlet, So You've Decided to Steal Cable, did have some compelling arguments such as the following:
Myth: Cable piracy is wrong.
Fact: Cable companies are big faceless corporations,
which makes it okay.
However, in the end even Homer decided that stealing was wrong. Are you going to ignore a moral lesson taught to you by the Simpsons?! Tsk. Tsk.
For more information on this topic, please refer to a reply Dish gave to another reader about honesty issues.
With regard to your question about the capitalization of Internet, most style guides agree that Internet is a proper noun since it is a one-of-a-kind item and must therefore be capitalized.
Dish
posted by Dish @ 8:36 PM
3 Comments:
hahaha. I love that pamphlet! Yes, it would be unwise to not follow the Simpsons/Dish's moral guidance.
I enjoy the fact that when the question "why is Internet capitalized?" was posed, Dish thought of the grammar aspects whereas I thought of the capitalist society we live in and thought about free internet for all...who is in the right? ;-)
To the best of Gus Johnson's knowledge, strictly speaking, there are no laws in Canada against using open wireless networks. You simply cannot use such networks for unlawful purposes. There are certain degrees of openness of networks:
1) The network's operator was negligent in securing the network. It is up to you to fulfill any moral obligations.
2) The network's operator left the network open intentionally to share.
3) The network's operator left the network open and posts a terms of use agreement. These terms usually involve restricting the access to certain applications.
4) The network's operator left the network open intentionally, but posted an obvious message that no one outside of group X may use the service.
Note that it is unlawful to breach any security that a network operator may put in place, no matter how trivial it may be to do so. It is unlawful to interfere with the legitimate use of other users. It is also unlawful to intercept wireless communication.
So while there are no laws to stop you from using an unintentionally open network, you may wish to refrain from:
- downloading large amounts of data that may put the network operator's bandwidth usage over his limit or causing his connection to be slow and unusable;
- obtaining the network operator's computer files;
- eavesdropping on the network operator's network communication;
Another concern that should be addressed is the fact that these open networks may also be tools to conversely garner your private information. Make sure your computer is secure and your communication is encrypted if you plan on using a stranger's network.
Gus Johnson
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