Actually, the victims of this crime (if it was a crime, which I question under current law) were completely unaware of what was going on. The arresting officer determined it based on observation of the accused's behavior. And yes, the "thief" did admit guilt and was sentenced to a fine and a year's court supervision. I suspect if he had fought it, he could have gotten off, because the law under which he was charged doesn't exactly apply.
I somewhat disagree with you about the ethics here. If a retailer displays items on a rack out on the sidewalk, is it ethical to steal them? If I have a utility electrical outlet on the outside wall of my house, intended to power an electrical gardening tool or something, and it isn't locked, is it ethical to run a cord over to it and use it to power your air conditioning?
If I leave my house door unlocked, is it ethical for someone to just walk in and help themselves to my possessions? Just because it is possible doesn't make it ethical. Legality in some of these cases may be fuzzy, and require more details, but I think the ethics are quite clear.
That doesn't mean that I am absolved of responsibility in these situations. Not locking the door is going to be construed as a breach of responsibility by a court, I'm sure, and probably by an insurance company as well. However, it isn't usual to put locks on utility outlets; furthermore, it is customary in many places for retailers to put displays out on the sidewalk regularly. They aren't expected to have someone out there to guard them. Instead, the honesty of the customer is assumed.
I'm not proposing that laws be made to clearly prevent this activity. I do think it's the responsibility of those who set up wireless access points to secure them in some way if they don't want Joe Anyone to use their bandwidth. On the other hoof, I still think it is unethical to take bandwidth in that manner unless the operator of the access point has clearly given permission, as some now do. Coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, and so forth are more and more beginning to offer that as a perk. Usually they put up a sign declaring their intent, and that's fine with me.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-01-08 05:49 pm (UTC)I somewhat disagree with you about the ethics here. If a retailer displays items on a rack out on the sidewalk, is it ethical to steal them? If I have a utility electrical outlet on the outside wall of my house, intended to power an electrical gardening tool or something, and it isn't locked, is it ethical to run a cord over to it and use it to power your air conditioning?
If I leave my house door unlocked, is it ethical for someone to just walk in and help themselves to my possessions? Just because it is possible doesn't make it ethical. Legality in some of these cases may be fuzzy, and require more details, but I think the ethics are quite clear.
That doesn't mean that I am absolved of responsibility in these situations. Not locking the door is going to be construed as a breach of responsibility by a court, I'm sure, and probably by an insurance company as well. However, it isn't usual to put locks on utility outlets; furthermore, it is customary in many places for retailers to put displays out on the sidewalk regularly. They aren't expected to have someone out there to guard them. Instead, the honesty of the customer is assumed.
I'm not proposing that laws be made to clearly prevent this activity. I do think it's the responsibility of those who set up wireless access points to secure them in some way if they don't want Joe Anyone to use their bandwidth. On the other hoof, I still think it is unethical to take bandwidth in that manner unless the operator of the access point has clearly given permission, as some now do. Coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, and so forth are more and more beginning to offer that as a perk. Usually they put up a sign declaring their intent, and that's fine with me.