I think Martin has missed the point! I SECURELY share my Wi-Fi with my next-door neighbour, (for which she pays me £x p/m.) If my Wi-Fi was UNSECURED, any Jonny-cum-lately could use my ADSL connection. Wi-Fi is not the problem: the problem is UNSECURED Wi-Fi!

I'm betting this guy is a Democrat with political or quasi-political aspirations.

Paris 'cos maybe if this guy met her he'd get a life.

Nasty terrorists are everywhere, using your wives and raping your Wi-Fis. Vote Republican and you'll be protected by vigilantes monitoring your Wi-Fi traffick!

Paris, as she might fall for it.

Too bad I already had an idea like this in my Neighborhood. I went around with my laptop and found the unsecured networks on 5 blocks around my house and found about 17 open wireless points. Of those all but one had the default router password on them. So I logged on, logged into the router, set up MAC filtering, changed the default password and secured the network.

Of those networks, they are all secured now.

Anon cause I dont need to deal with the police.

/coat cause Im a DHS agent in disguse.

found 6 wireless unsecured networks in my neighborhood. So, I plugged in, deleted all their mp3, porn and vids collection, used their IPs to download illegal material and after that, screwed up their APs.

that will surely teach then to secure their damn wi fis...

I set up unsecured wireless access points, wait for some neighborhood geek with an inflated ego to nest on the street outside, let him start playing with my network full of tasty but spiked resources, then head over to his place, and douse his soft furnishings in.. well.. I digress.

I do this all for some spurious higher purpose that serves as convenient justification to tell all and sundry because, deep down, I am just in it to get my ego stroked.

Slow first, then fast. Oh yes. Thats the way. I've been a baaaaad boy.

My neighbours are welcome to use my wifi. When mine's down, I'll use their's. When friends come around, they can use my wifi without faffing around with the key.

Insecure computers, on the other hand are a big problem, as are non-encrypted web sessions but that is a completely different problem.

Perhaps you can convince them its okay being beige and boxy?

Oh, and Andy Barber... given that the article specifically mentioned 'open' wireless networks, why are you going all CAPITALISED about your secured one?

I leave open wireless as I find it. If I lived in a more densely populated area, I'd be tempted to run an open network just to see who might be using it and what for. Its funny how people often 'steal' bandwidth in this way, but don't imagine for one moment what a potentially ghastly security nightmare they could have let themselves in for.

Is best when evacuating all evidence of meaning and meaningfulness from the process and the product. Cage, Pollock, Rothko, etc etc. When it tries to do the opposite, it tends to end up just looking silly. But that is precisely how the Nu Insect Overlards have arranged things. For American art (w/o quotes) look and listen elsewhere.

An open network isn't 'insecure', its 'shared'.

Using an open network isn't stealing, its sharing by invitation.

(I'm really worried about the way traditional concepts of community and sharing are being pushed aside by fear and false security concerns. Are we going to build open shared efficient networks for the good of all, or hide away and close doors?)

"...or hide away and close doors?"

Its a good way to encourage fear of others.

Paris, because I love to hide away behind a closed door with her.