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Unauthorized Tapping Into Home WIFI - Teenager is facing a Jail term.

When I saw on this post, I can’t stop laughing on it!

Unbelievable, it is the first time I heard about that unauthorized tapping others’ home WiFi ended in the jail. When I first saw on the title, I get very excited and curious how it could happen by continue reading on the post. However, the post did not give much information; therefore, I have googled it to prove to myself and also others who are feeling the same like me right now.

It is a true story! It really happened, whereby a 17 years old teen in Singapore, Garyl Tan Jia Luo, is the first person to be charged with tapping into someone else’s wireless internet connection under the Computer Misuse Act. She is facing up to 3 years in prison for piggybacking his neighbour’s WiFi.

Piggybacking is actually means when someone finds an unlocked or open network and log into it without permission. So, now everyone knows what most of us have doing so far is actually called PIGGYBACKING. If piggybacking is a crime, I believe most of us will also end in a jail like Garyl. So, everyone may starts to ask, is it piggybacking really a CRIME? What’s wrong with piggybacking?

Whether piggybacking is a crime is actually depends on each country’s norms and regulation.

In my opinion, yes, it can be considered that piggybacking is a kind of wrong doings because by legally you do not pay for and use it without permission. It means that you are actually stealing someone else’s signal. Stealing is a kind of crime in the first place because you are taking services that you aren’t entitled to, whether or not the person concern about it. If someone left their car doors opens, that is not an invitation for you to take it or even to sit in it. Same situation applies there.

However, some might be thinking that the owner of the home WiFi has the responsibility too. The owner who sets up the WiFi, if unwilling to let others to have access on it, he or she should have set a security password on it as the WiFi has such function. However, the owner did not do so. Therefore, in another way, it is actually implies to the internet users that it is a free and open WiFi available to be accessed. It should not be a crime for that reason.

So, unauthorized access to someone else’s network is an unethical act unless it is a public available WiFi. Even though some owner may not concern about it, it is better not to do so because you may not know one day you might be the next Garyl.

Singapore teen faces 3 years' jail for tapping into another's wireless Internet

Singapore teen faces 3-year ‘computer misuse’ jail term

Wi-Fi Piggybacking? Watch out for the Fine

Wi-Fi piggybacking is OK, say silicon.com readers