Man and Woman in UK Arrested for Using WiFi

Two cautioned over wi-fi 'theft'
BBC News, Tuesday, 17 April 2007, 16:22 GMT 17:22 UK

"Neighbours in Redditch, Worcestershire, contacted police on Saturday after seeing a man inside a car using a laptop while parked outside a house. He was arrested and cautioned. A woman was arrested in similar circumstances in the town earlier this month.

BBC Midlands Today correspondent Dr David Gregory said the cases are among the first of their kind. He added that if people were using someone else's network to enter illegal porn sites, for example, it would be very difficult to trace them. The man arrested at the weekend was cautioned for dishonestly obtaining electronic communications services with intent to avoid payment."

Arresting someone for using open WiFi when they are not using it to break any other law or abuse the network makes about as much sense as arresting my neighbours for listening to my radio playing through my open windows in the summer. In the end, though, it looks like they were "cautioned" aand not actually charged with any crime.


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