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The U.K.'s hidden crime wave: Wi-Fi freeloaders
5 comments- TAGS:crime, freeloader, Wi-Fi, wireless
- IT TOPICS:Government & Regulation, Internet, Mobile & Wireless, Networking, Security
If we're to believe the U.K. newspaper The Times, the U.K. is being threatened by a Wi-Fi crime wave, in which Wi-Fi freeloaders commit the "serious offense" of use other people's Wi-Fi networks without their knowledge.
According to The Times, "'Wi-fi tapping' or 'piggybacking' has boomed in the past few years as hackers take advantage of unsecured computers to access the internet without paying for it." The paper goes on to claim that "Police regard it as a serious offence because intruders can download pornographic materials and illegal images without being caught."
Here's the kicker: The newspaper frets that only 11 people have been arrested for the offense.
My reaction is the opposite --- 11 is too many. I've been a Wi-Fi freeloader myself at times, and this is not really a crime. Don't the police in England and Wales have anything better to do than tracking down people looking for a free and open Internet connection? If they have so much time on their hands, maybe they should track down a few soccer hooligans. Or make sure there's no repeat of the London Underground terror attack.
The entire tone of the story is overheated, of course, and written for the fear factor. This should come as no surprise. After all, The Times is owned by shock-and-schlock purveyor Rupert Murdoch. What's next: A Page 3 topless girl covering her assets with a strategically placed laptop?
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