Use a network, go to jail

It's been around for years, but wireless poaching--the unauthorized use of an insecure wireless network--has acquired a higher profile since a 41-year-old Florida man was arrested on charges that he illegally tapped into a local veterinarian's Internet connection. What has alarmed some in the blogosphere is the reasoning behind the arrest, or lack thereof: Even though it's unclear what the admitted intruder was doing on the network, the unauthorized access alone could constitute a third-degree felony. Perhaps the only safe route is to carry around your own hot spot.

Blog community response:

"The problem with an arrest like this, of course, is that what is the value of the theft? 15 cents? Who is the victim--the ISP or the subscriber? It's a lot of money spent to prosecute a problem that can be dealt with by turning on security."
--WNN Wi-Fi Net News

"Open networks are problematic. On one hand they speak to free and open access; on the other they represent a conduit for illegal activities. I'm not a 'law and order' man, but when this could include the anonymous sharing of child porn, then my ears perk up."
--JasonNolan.Net

"This seems to me to be like arresting someone for trespassing on to private land when there is no fence, no signage or any other indication that the land is, in fact, privately owned."
--Lethal Librarian