Home Wifi Unprotected = Big Fine in Germany

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10116606.stm

Wi-fi owner fined for lax security in Germany

German citizens are responsible for the security of their own private wireless connections, a court has ruled.

The ruling comes after a musician sued the owner of a network connection that had been used to illegally download and file-share music.

The owner had proof that the householder was on holiday at the time but the court ruled that the network should have been password-protected.

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The DSL-Router as such can be the WLAN device. I you use flat rate telephoning it is via that kind of router, shut down the router and you shut down your telephon. However in the manual the dangers are explained normally. We switch of the sender for the LAN when not being active.

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How many people turn their router off?

A PC connects to a wireless router and has nothing to do with illegal wi-fi use through a router.
If no security (WEP or WPA) is employed then it just an open access point, regardless of any computer connected to it.

Edit: Just because the person in that article turned their PC off, if they left the router plugged in then it was still accessible due to the lack of wireless security.

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Originally posted by Crowley
I suppose you could see it like that, but securing your WiFi so other people can't commit any crime using it does make sense.
If the guy's place had been used as a meth lab, because he had left his home chemistry lab open to the public, would you react differently?

It's a weird situation, I agree, but securing a wireless network pretty tightly takes about 60 seconds, so not doing it SHOULD actually be a criminal offence!

Would they give the same ruling to a public space, like a convention center, where it would be beneficial to have free WiFi but impractical to provide a password to every single person?

Originally posted by Crowley
I suppose you could see it like that, but securing your WiFi so other people can't commit any crime using it does make sense.
If the guy's place had been used as a meth lab, because he had left his home chemistry lab open to the public, would you react differently?

It's a weird situation, I agree, but securing a wireless network pretty tightly takes about 60 seconds, so not doing it SHOULD actually be a criminal offence!

This is the same kind of crazy nonsense that the Digital Economy bill will cause over in the UK. I pray that the Lib Dems will still push to have it thown out.

Originally posted by pawnhandler
Cheap wireless networks don't come with password protection.