Wi-Fi cautions for two

Two people have been cautioned stealing Wi-Fi

18 April 2007 12:09 GMT / By Ryan Haynes

A man and woman were arrested and cautioned for using other people's Wi-Fi connections in Worcestershire this month.

This is thought to be the first act by Police to clamp down on criminal behaviour of this sort, a woman had been warned earlier in April. The man was caught when his laptop light could be seen from his car, even though he had boarded the windows with cardboard.

The caution for "dishonestly obtaining electronic communications services with intent to avoid payment" was only noticed by neighbours in the early hours of the morning. Illegal users can be tracked by the information they access using Wi-Fi networks, although some illegal sites are still difficult to trace.

So this is a warning to anyone who hasn’t activated their WEP keys, which will thwart any illegal users hitching a lift on your connection. Alternatively, beware if you are using someone elses service without permission.

Full tags

Hardware, Wi-Fi, Theft, Police