Using someones open WLAN.

Hey there dear readers,

I recently read an article on someone being fined for using an open WLAN connection (here in Finland that is). I was really dumbfounded by this, and ended up asking myself how the hell is this possible?

So, thus I decided to write this "rant" on the subject to express my opinion on the matter.

First of all, I'd like to start with what the deal is. I recently bought a new laptop and while installing it found it extremely convinient to use an open WLAN connection (actually one of several open WLAN's) to finish the installation. Thanks to the fine people who offered such a choice knowingly or unwittingly. So what is an open WLAN? It's pretty much an internet connection which one CAN use free of charge and without either your own concent nor the owners concent or by his willingness. So how is this possible?

How can I NOT block and internetconnection? The thing is that who ever owns the internet connection is broadcasting a signal to every direction in the near vincinity. And this signal is in a sense a flashing a green light saying LOOK I'm here and usable. You think of it as a neighbour installing a wired internet connection to your home with a label saying the same. Its just there, unsecured by passwords or anyother form of locking. Now this happened either intentionally by this neighbour of yours, or he accidentally installed it without knowing or understanding what he/she was doing. And all this happened when you were not home, and you have no way of knowing who did it. Funky, huh?

Huh? So, now you have access to an internet connection, which advertises itself with a green light and a small message of usabilty. You dont know where or how it came to be, you dont know whos it is, and you dont know if it's intentionally there or not. Pretty much like walking on a privately owned road with no signs or gates whatsoever. Did the roadowner intentionally let people walk on it, or is he/she ignorant enough to not care or not willing to put up a small sign saying no tresspassing? Well, my opinion is that ofcourse you're allowed to walk on a road you dont know who owns, has no signs or gates or any other implication that you shouldn't be standing on it BUT does have a small sign which states 'open'. Why wouldn't you walk on it?
The owner has the right to deny access with gates or signs, but has not done so - until then you're free to use the road as long as you dont use it for illegal activity, host a party on it with all your friends or terrorize the owner by not letting him/her walk on it! Do you guys see my point with this?

Here's another example from my own life. I have 3 items which are are technically mine, but all the dwellers in the building may use them. One is a small stool on the backyard which I like to have my smoke on, and an old tin for cigarette butts. Feel free to sit on it or put out your cigarette in the tin. Just dont sit there 24/7, break it or deny me access to it. I even dont mind if I have to wait a moment for you finish your cigarette before I can sit on it. If I find they are used too much or in a nasty fashion, Ill simply take them back home. The other item is a small bucket and ladle in the public sauna. Same applies for them, I just thought it would be nice to have a proper sauna ladle instead on the old sh*tty one. Im certainly not going to make fuss out someone using them let alone start spewing accusations of illegal use of MY stuff. Same applies for my doorbell, feel free to ring it if you need to, thats the reason it there! You dont need to ask me for permission to use any of them, I would have somehow secured them If I wanted you to ask for permission, or simple removed them from being publicly available if I didnt want them to be used.

You know, this applies for the magic internet connection which just sits there. Dont use it for illegal activity (pirating software, hacing etc..), please dont hog all the bandwith with constant large downloads, dont try to terrorize the owner and lastly please dont use it 24/7 even if you could do so. However if it IS secured with a password or other form, it's clearly not for you to use. Just like my ladle, if I lock it in a drawer, it's not for you to use.

Now how is all this fuss possible? It kinda boils down to two types of people and attitudes:

1. The Ignoramus, congratulations - you belong to the cast Ignoramus if you bought a gadget you know next to nothing of, dont know how it works, dont know what it can do and you really arent interested in either learning and probably didnt bother with the manual. As if by magic you managed to get it to work or had someone do all this for you pretty much no questions asked style. Id keep my eyes open, because it just might be that you end up breaking something or even hurting yourself. You wouldnt drive car if you dont know how to work it now would you?

2. The Operator, congratulations - you are an operator if you bought a gadgets you have atleast rudimentary knowledge of, you approximately know how it works, know what it can do and you probably are interested in learning more or bothered reading the manual to a reasonably extent. You got the gadget working by knowing how to use it or by studying instructions. You also configured it in such a fashion which pleases yourself, or asked for help doing all this.

And two attitudes:

1. You arent focused on having all the power to yourself and generally speaking have a helping hand type of attitude and willing to share. You dont mind if the neighbour picks apples which fell on his side of the fence from your tree, and you help people out to a reasonable extent. If you dont need it all, you just might share it.

2. You are the power addict, helping out is probably a must task for you and makes you slightly sick. You'd like to have it all to yourself, sharing pretty much anything is hard for you. You probably curse the neighbor who picked your apples which fell on his/her side of the fence, you might even ask to have the two apples back. You need to have it all even if you dont need all of it and probably aren't gonna share any of it.

Thusly, dear reader, if you decide you want to share your your WLAN, which is rightfully yours, do so by any means. If you dont want to share it or just simply cant, thats ok too. If you dont know if you're sharing your access or not, you might want to think about going back to wired times, or atleast studying what you're doing and dont blame others if they use that open connection just because you weren't interested in what you were doing. Securing your connection is quite easy nowadays.

Please take this rant with a grain of salt and some humor, but this is basicly my opinion, with a few "provocative" rants :) And yes, nothing is so black and white, there are gray areas too :)

Enjoy and stay cool :)
-JT