I am a newbie to wireless, but not to computing or law. I visited Circuit City and browsed their laptops to find a replacement for the 486 laptop. They had no laptops there without wireless capability. All I really needed was a dial up connection. Laptop/Notebook costs ranged from about $600 up. According to the salesstaff wireless is popular because many places allow free internet access. Several such are supposedly in the Winchester, VA and Leesburg, VA areas. Allegedly all one has to do is drive around in ones car with the laptop on and free connection opportunities will present themselves. I was even told of websites offering tools to aid me in doing so (Air Crack, etc.). Visiting the nearby Staples and Office Max confirmed that while laptops are available cheaply none are still being offered without wireless capability. After browsing the stores I found a notebook I liked (Gateway 520 for those who wonder) and got it home, adding and updating the software and then turned the wireless feature on. Sure enough many connection opportunities seem to be there. After visiting a website (via dialup) and looking at aircrack it is pretty obvious it is a hacking (burglary?) tool and I won’t take it. Returning to the laptop connection opportunities I see at least three would give quick access but not display owner identification without doing searching I was/am reluctant to do. 18 USC 1030 relates only to sites pertaining to classified or financial data. As someone else pointed out in another thread Joe Shmoe’s PC doesn’t fall under it. However, Virginia computer laws might cover his PC. These wireless laptops are proliferating. So too are free hotspots. Circuit City even sells a cheap keychain type WiFi detector. Here is my question.
If I drive into a highway rest area and turn my laptop on and acquire a connection, how do I tell if I am legally accessing a freely offered public access hotspot from a nearby public library or college or whether or not, I am illegally accessing Farmer Brown’s poorly configured wireless PC in his nearby farm house? Is there a way to quickly tell before accepting and using the connection?
