Aiding and Abetting - Wireless Style

Read a bit today about a guy who would park his car outside a coffee shop and hitch a ride on their unsecured wireless connection. Turns out, he had been breaking Michigan's "Fraudulent access to computers, computer systems, and computer networks" law, a felony punishable by five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The end result? This guy actually was convicted and had to pay a $400 fine and do 40 hours of community service.

I find this a bit bizarro. The original law was put on the books in 1979, but was update to include Wi-Fi networks in 2000. While I understand the intent, this just seemed like bullshit to me. So -if he is in the coffee shop, he's ok. But being outside made it illegal? Sounds like the cops in Michigan don't have enough to do. And I can't imagine a DA would actually persue this.

No mention of the coffee shop owner being a dumbass for having their network unsecured. They should have charged him with aiding and abetting in the commital of a felony.

Joining in on the OTB Traffic Jam!