Stealing your neighbors wireless: a question of Ethics

Von Drunky

Von Drunky

Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Lets say a company provided you with a laptop which was equipped with a wireless card, and then you suddenly realized you are picking up somebody else’s signal and its excellent there for you could potentially getting free internet service . Its not slowing down their connection, they don’t even know your there. Would this be ethical? What laws are there in the US that would go against this?
So far I could see this being ethical in utilitarianism, because your not harming anybody and receving a befit (generating the most good).
 
Well, I know it's illegal, since you're basically mooching off something they pay for without them knowing (So it's stealing). Although I do try to hack into peoples' wifi networks with my DS, but thats fun....and illegal, so me telling you not to do it would be hypocritical.
 
The question is ethical theory and US laws. So I need philosophical answers or cited laws.
 
Von Drunky said:
your not harming anybody and receving a befit
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Omg so humanity can get infinite bandwidth by setting up a single wireless service and then leeching from it?
 
Not if everybody did it because that would mean there will be no body to leach from. Thanks Per now we got Kant going up in this piece. Since he was all about universalizing everything.
 
Yeah, damn Kant for messing up the blissful simplicity of "If I'm the only one raping woodland fairies and no one's even noticing then how can it not be freaking awesome."
 
TwinkieGorilla said:
i do it when and if i can without thinking twice, and expect the same to happen to my wireless (which i know does happen).
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It's absurdly easy to prevent others from leeching your wifi. Either setup encryption (included with all wifi software), disable the broadcasting of your SSID, or both. Oh, and also, change the name of your WAP to something other than the default.

I don't condone it per se, but people who can't be bothered to take such basic precautions are pretty much begging to have people leech their wifi.. It's not rocket science.

Don't fool yourself though; there's not unlimited bandwidth, you are slowing down their connection, especially if you're downloading things.
 
Barring you being a sociopath, I can only conclude that you don't value your belongings or that you have an unhealthy respect for the "skill" involved in committing theft. With regards to the former, well, most people do value their belongings. Despite nonsense philosophizing, there's nothing wrong with that, as long as it's not taken to an extreme. As for the latter, I think you overestimate the skill required for thievery (especially in regards to the subject at hand, as it requires next to none). Stealing, in most instances, is hardly a Mission Impossible-esque affair.
 
SL¥DE said:
I applaud their skill.
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What if you never even know? What if you just wake up each morning feeling a little more drained... a little more tired of it all... a little less in possession of a soul. Hello.
 
i believe it's called the Tragedy of Commons, Per.

and yeah, as to stealing bandwidth:
they're stupid not to protect their connection, but that's no reason to abuse it. you dont steal candy from babies, do you?

it is also not a victimless crime. in quite a few cases, there is restricted bandwidth to a connection, going over it often means paying extra.

as for the morality of the whole crap? i just dont give a fuck. i personally dont steal wireless, but i couldnt care less if you did...
 
Per said:
What if you never even know? What if you just wake up each morning feeling a little more drained... a little more tired of it all... a little less in possession of a soul. Hello.
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LOL Satan's jackin' my ethereal kicks.
 
Von Drunky said:
its excellent there for you could potentially getting free internet service . Its not slowing down their connection, they don’t even know your there. Would this be ethical? What laws are there in the US that would go against this?
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I don't know about the US legislation, but I do know that in the realms of economics the only time it is moral to freely use a consumption item is when it is a common good, and things are only a common good when usage is not restricted and there is no competition amongst consumers (which is only possible when the supply stays the same when someone uses the good). Like street lights.

That is not the case here, hence it's not moral in an economic sense. QED.
 
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