Police: There's no piggybacking crackdown

[BGonaSTICK]

The arrest of a man for piggybacking on someone else's wi-fi-enabled broadband connection is not part of a wider crackdown, police said.

A 39-year-old man was arrested earlier this week by two police community support officers (PCSOs) from Hounslow, as he sat on a wall outside a house in Chiswick, West London. He admitted to police he had used a third party's unsecured wi-fi access point to use the internet.

But this is not part of a proactive operation, said the Metropolitan Police. "This was not a strategic, pre-planned operation," said a spokesperson. "We're clearly not targeting broadband theft. The PCSOs saw a man acting suspiciously, and investigated."

The Met spokesperson denied the arrest was a waste of police time and resources. "We're not going to ignore crime. If we find somebody committing an offence then we act on it but this [crime] clearly doesn't happen in the hundreds or thousands."

After being arrested the man was taken to Chiswick police station where the case was handed over to the Computer Crime Unit. The man has been bailed to return to the station in October pending further investigation but may be let off with a caution, police said.

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."

[RocketMBA]

That's a relief. I'd stopped giving my midget mate piggybacks out of fear!

[Yorks]

Can someone verify that donkey rides are still legal. :?

[BGonaSTICK]

I wonder how the police would actually organise and excecute a 'wider crackdown'?

Arrest more people sitting on walls with a laptop just in case?

There are now 52 laws in the UK for every serving police officer. Perhaps they 'crackdown' on one a week?

Maybe we could get hold of the rota. It would save a lot of bother.

Perhaps it has something to do with sitting on the wall itself? Did I miss the wall-sitting act 2007?

Perhaps the offender was just placing his crackdown on the wall after all?

[nanochickin]

The arrest of a man for piggybacking on someone else's wi-fi-enabled broadband connection is not part of a wider crackdown

What you mean thats illegal I see it the same as viewing feeds, if it ain't encrypted it ain't illegal

Perhaps the offender was just placing his crackdown on the wall after all?

I like it it :roflmao:

[RocketMBA]

Maybe he was playing Crackdown!

[Gav]

Lol. If they were outside my house, they'd probably arrest me for enticing them to connect. I have a (separate) wireless network right at the front of the house (next to the main road) with the SSID 'Free Internet'.

I do all sorts of annoying things if anyone dares to connect :P ~ its great when their firewalls are off and I can use 'Windows Messenger' to load up pop ups like 'I'm watching you' onto their screen

If I can find their e-mail address, I'd send them a couple of e-mails from my .gov e-mail address (No luck so far )

[nanochickin]

Mines locked up solid Can't have any Tom, Dick or Harry using it

From what i can see its about the only one that is in the street



Nano

[BGonaSTICK]

I can connect to two other WiFi networks from my house

One of them has the SSID set to the house number and road name FFS!