Wireless Internet there for the taking
You could argue that if you are not password-protected, you are implicitly giving people permission to do it. The problem with that is that I suspect most people don’t explicitly think about it. If you explicitly decide that you’re not password-protecting your connection, then fine. But, as with all new technology, most people who use them, myself included, don’t understand it all. So you can’t just assume that because someone doesn’t put a password protection, they’re happy with you using (their connection).
- Alastair Norcross, Professor of Ethics at Rice University
When we finally broke down and decided to ditch our dial-up Internet connection for the rich, creamy goodness of high-speed cable, Adam made certain that our connection was password-protected and secure. Until he did that, I had no idea how easy it can be to tap into a neighboring Internet connection. Even now, when I reboot and check the available connections, one of our neighbors has their Internet connection out there, unsecured for anyone to tap into.
When I spent last August working in Miami, my employer put me up in a corporate apartment near Doral Country Club. I had requested that high-speed Internet access be available to me, but when I arrived, it had not yet been hooked up. Just to see what the possibilities were, I turned on my computer, and there they were, three wireless networks, just waiting for me take surf the wave.
Knowing that these networks were available, and were likely to remain available, I was facing with something of a moral dilemma. Should I take advantage of free high-speed access by taking advantage of someone else’s network, or should I go ahead and pay the $50 for my own connection? It would have been easy to keep my wallet in my pocket and take advantage of someone else’s unsecured network. I doubt anyone would have noticed. In the end, though, I decided to do the right thing and pay for my own connection.
I could have continued to use my neighbor’s connection for the month I was in Miami, and it’s quite likely that no one would have been the wiser. After all, if these folks were stupid enough to not password-protect their network, how would they find out that I, or anyone one else, was taking advantage of them?
I decided to do the right thing for a couple of reasons. One, it was the right thing to do. Stealing is still wrong, even in today’s fungible reality. Two, I began to consider how I would feel if I were to discover that someone was stealing access to my Internet connection. Stealing cable service is a crime, and though there currently is no law proscribing stealing Internet access, that does not make it any less wrong. In the end, it was $50 well spent. I could look at myself in the mirror, and I got what I wanted and needed. In the end, I didn’t have to cross any moral boundaries in order to get it.
Stealing high-speed Internet access is a bigger problem than most of us realize, but it’s a problem with a very simple solution. By password-protecting your connection, you will rid yourself of the problem. If you don’t know how to do it, call your cable or DSL provider. Or, you could just do what we did and ask your college-age tech wiz son. Every family should have one, right?
Right on, bro! Too many people think that if you don't get caught, it ain't wrong. Even the author of the article you linked talked about splitting her connection and bill with her neighbor, yet later claimed she never stole anything!
It's tough enough teaching our children right from wrong, what with burning movies off the internet and passing out copies of your CDs to friends. Ya gotta represent, 'cause they learn best by example.