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Broadband thief used his laptop outside a Chiswick home
11:32am Wednesday 22nd August 2007
Comments (20)A man was arrested for stealing a broadband connection as he sat on a wall outside a house and used his laptop.
The 39-year-old was spotted by two PCSOs in Prebend Gardens, Chiswick, and when questioned he confessed to using an unsecured Wi Fi broadband connection.
Officers arrested the man who was taken to Chiswick police station yesterday morning.
He was handed over to the Computer Crime Unit and the bailed to return on October 11, pending further investigation.
DC Mark Roberts, from the Computer Crime Unit, said: "This arrest should act as a warning to anyone who thinks it is acceptable to illegally use other people's broadband connections.
"To do so potentially breaches the Computer Misuse Act and the Communications Act, so computer users need to be aware that this is unlawful and police will investigate any violation we become aware of."
A spokesman for Hounslow CID said: "This is a good example of the diverse approach PCSOs have to their community responsibilities."
The man was bailed to return to the police station in October.
Your Say YourRichmond and Twickenham Times
Ryan, Twickenham says...
1:37pm Wed 22 Aug 07
Bob, Cheam says...
1:43pm Wed 22 Aug 07
Karin Flower, London says...
2:16pm Wed 22 Aug 07
Was he downloading illegal imagery? was he hacking into banks? Or was he just browsing the net? I think this is a waste of police time!
Col, South London says...
3:25pm Wed 22 Aug 07
Dave, Surrey says...
5:06pm Wed 22 Aug 07
Bob wrote:Bob, you should be a detective.
I\'m assuming that the police actually checked the laptop to see what exactly he was using the broadband for? The easiest way to download child **** untraced is to use someone elses broadband connection from a laptop, that way any downloads are tracked directly to the owner of the broadband connection.
Jay, California says...
6:27pm Wed 22 Aug 07
dave, london says...
12:04am Thu 23 Aug 07
Col wrote:No, network address translation by the wifi router means that the ISP only sees 1 IP address - multiple IP addresses are only allocated inside the network.
\"The easiest way to download child **** untraced is to use someone elses broadband connection from a laptop, that way any downloads are tracked directly to the owner of the broadband connection\" - in most cases, everything that connects to a network is given a seperate IP address, so the owners of the connection would be in the clear once its determined the ip address isnt from one of their machines. Granted, the culprit would of got away, but at least the owner wouldnt be mistakenly convicted.
dave jepson, london says...
12:09am Thu 23 Aug 07
Karin Flower wrote:I agree. Its complete nonsense and the senior policeman commenting (whose time is probably very valuable) should be embarrassed. A nice easy nick for the police and the community support guys in need of better statistics. Its a bit like nicking speeders with cameras instead of genuinely bad drivers. The police need to get their priorities sorted out.
The world has gone mad! Yes, maybe he was using an unsecured network - However, Why was the network not security protected? Its easy to set-up & to my mind, leaving your network unsecured is almost giving permission for people to use it. The owner of this connection is at fault surely! How do you define "the potential breach of the Computer Misuse Act and the Communications Act?".
Was he downloading illegal imagery? was he hacking into banks? Or was he just browsing the net? I think this is a waste of police time!
dave, london says...
12:10am Thu 23 Aug 07
Jay wrote:The point is, its a stupid thing to call a crime and spend police resources on.
I'm seeing comments saying that since the router was not secured, the thief is justified in stealing the access. It doesn't matter whether the router was secured or whether he hacked into it, the fact remains that he is a thief. What exactly have we come to when we justify illegal behavior by attempting to blame the owner of the service?
Toby, London says...
12:44am Thu 23 Aug 07
Imagine: you're sitting at a coffee shop with your laptop. A sign in the shop says 'free wi-fi' but when you try to connect you see two unsecured wireless networks, both with the default network names. How do you decide which to connect to? Pick the wrong one, and you have a criminal record.
Andy, A legal wirelss 3G connection.... says...
11:29am Thu 23 Aug 07
imma, says...
11:58am Thu 23 Aug 07
the computer misuse act requires your knowledge that permission has not been given.
since (some) people have stated they leave their networks unprotected for the purpose of other people accessing them, this could be taken as permission
Possibly wishful thinking that people would make net access available for free *shrugs*
http://www.opsi.gov.
uk/acts/acts1990/ukp
ga_19900018_en_1#pb1
-l1g1
Andy Tweedy, Bangkok says...
12:13pm Thu 23 Aug 07
I think the world has gone crazy, it confims another reason why I don't live in the UK anymore
Too much political correctness and too much control
David Hughes, Bristol says...
2:21pm Thu 23 Aug 07
Dave wrote:Agreed, that's like saying 'the backdoor was unlocked so I was quite justfied in making off with your valuables...'
Bob wrote:Bob, you should be a detective.
I\\\'m assuming that the police actually checked the laptop to see what exactly he was using the broadband for? The easiest way to download child **** untraced is to use someone elses broadband connection from a laptop, that way any downloads are tracked directly to the owner of the broadband connection.
Ludovic Windsor, Richmond says...
9:10am Fri 24 Aug 07
1. If you leave a WiFi connection unsecure, it's like consenting to share it
2. And getting free broadband is like taking an apple from a tree overhanging a public road.
Police should rather arrest mums who cross with buggies outside of pedestrians zebras: this is really dangerous!
Lickyalips, Richmond says...
2:47pm Fri 24 Aug 07
Mike Hart, London, UK says...
9:41pm Fri 24 Aug 07
Putting aside the wisdom (or otherwise) or doing this - how was the visitor to know any different?
Also, when his laptop asked for a valid IP address to be issued, the wireless router did so. Surely this is 'permission asked for and granted'?
Paul, says...
10:24pm Sat 25 Aug 07
Not electricity, or anything tangible either. He didn't steal the connection, because it's still in the owner's house. I'd like to see that one go to court . . .
Jazzi, says...
5:04pm Fri 31 Aug 07
Ummm, guys, er, what did he actually STEAL ?Good theory Paul. You should phone up the police and give them some advice coz ur right. No one actually nicked anything!
Not electricity, or anything tangible either. He didn't steal the connection, because it's still in the owner's house. I'd like to see that one go to court .
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Col, South London says...
11:48am Wed 22 Aug 07
But people also need to ensure that their wireless networks are secure. Those that are not, are just asking for it!