Ethical Issues in the Digital World
Summary
Wi-Fi is the name for the new wireless technology that allows a user to connect to the Internet without any wires or cables. As Joshua Quittner explains “The name stands for “wireless fidelity”; what it means is that any network devices that are Wi-Fi certified can work together”. “A user connects the base station to a high-speed modem [. . .] at home or the office and then attaches a second device to a laptop or PC. And it’s fast. Data transfer speeds can reach 11 megabits per second [. . .]. The effective range is usually limited to about 100 meters” writes Michael Snider in his article “The Wonders of Wi-Fi”.
The new technology is becoming popular in the corporate world as well as for private use as “most new computers are equipped for wireless Internet access, and more and more people are opting for Wi-Fi in their homes” writes Steve Hargreaves in “Stealing your neighbor’s Net”. However, “the biggest Wi-Fi users are currently business types, so Wi-Fi goes where they go” says Snider.
Some businesses are offering this service for a fee, but others” are offering Wi-Fi for free, footing the bill in exchange for an increase in traffic”[. . . .] Wi-Fi also has uses beyond business and pleasure. At the Markham-Stouffville hospital just north of Toronto, nurses wheel laptops through the well-lit halls and feed information into the hospital’s electronic documentation system from beside a patient’s bed.[. . .] In an emergency, doctors can access a patient’s bedside chart-even see an X-ray or CT scan-from office or home”(Snider).
A big problem with this new technology though, is security. As Andrew Wahl writes in “Big Hack Attack”, there are many unprotected networks. The article is about Mark McArdle, who is a professional within this industry, as he took a drive through Toronto’s financial district and using his laptop wanted to see if he would find any unsecured networks. Much to his surprise, “He found more than 30.[. . .] he says it would have been a simple and untraceable task-a couple of point-and clicks-to access e-mail and internal company documents, or even to just piggyback off a company’s Internet connection.[. . .] Although standard Wi-Fi does come with a default encryption code, it’s cumbersome and users often turn it off. Even when it’s on, it can be cracked with relative ease. [. . .] There are industry-wide efforts under way to develop a new default encryption method for Wi-Fi technology” (Wahl).
It is becoming very clear that we will be exposed to this wireless technology more and more, “in public places like airport lounges, hotels and fast-food points” (Quittner), as well as in our homes, which makes it very important to educate ourselves about it, and to be able to protect our identities.
Hargreaves, Steve. “Stealing your neighbor’s Net”. 10 Aug. 2005. 3 Feb. 2006
Quittner, Joshua. “Cordless Capers”. Time v.155 no 18 May 1 2000 p.85
(First Search-WilsonSelect Plus)
Snider, Michael. “The Wonders of Wi-Fi”. Maclean’s v. 116 no 11 Mar.17 2003 p.26, 33 (First Search-WilsonSelect Plus)
Wahl, Andrew. “Big Hack Attack”. Canadian Business v. 74 no 20 Oct. 29 2001
p. 107 (First Search-WilsonSelect Plus)
Response
Any new inventions in technology usually make our lives easier, but they also bring with them responsibilities. With the new Wi-Fi technology, inevitably the ethical issue of people using someone else’s connection to log onto the Internet comes up. The issue is a complex one, as “wireless networks are only just starting to be recognized” (Bob Breeden, qtd. in “Man charged with wireless trespassing” by Rob Kelley).
I am not sure what the best ethical answer for this dilemma is, as both sides can be argued; one side being that it is stealing because you did not pay for it, and the other is that if the network is unprotected and you have the technology and knowledge to use it, you should be allowed to.
It seems like even the laws are not very clear about this issue, as the following opinions by different officials published in “Stealing your neighbor’s Net” by Steve Hargreaves, suggest:
“All of this stuff is so new, it’s hard to say what the liability issues are” said Robert Hale, a San Francisco-based attorney who recently published an academic paper on the subject. Hale points out that there is a federal law on the books that ostensibly prohibits using someone’s access point with out their permission. But “without permission” is vaguely defined and the law seems more geared towards computer hacking.”
“It’s a gray area” said Paul Stamp, an analyst at the technology consultants Forester Research. “By not restricting access it could be argued that you’re implicitly making that available”.
“A broad statement concerning the access of unprotected wireless networks as being always legal or illegal simply can’t be made” said Jackie Lesch, a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice. “It’s just kind of dicey”. On a federal level, according to Lesch, prosecuting decisions are made on a case to case basis, mostly depending on the type of system accessed and what it was accessed for”.
Other persons in the general population believe there is nothing wrong with connecting to someone else’s network, as the following responses in “Using your neighbor’s Wi-Fi is hot topic” by Steve Hargreaves, show:
“I’m a software engineer of 25 years professional experience. Since the introduction of wireless access points, a social convention has emerged, which is: If the access point is not expressly secured against unauthorized use, then anyone is free to use it, within reason”.
“It is the responsibility of the consumer of such product to properly secure their signal.”
“Isn’t my neighbor violating my rights by inundating my apartment with ‘Internet’ waves? Isn’t he/she essentially asking for it by not securing their networks?[. . .]Bob K.”
Personally, I would try to inform myself about the federal and State laws in place at the time, before I would use a Wi-Fi connection from someone else’s network. Part of me thinks that if the network was left unsecured, than I would just be using the airwaves that are at my disposal, just as I am using my radio to receive a broadcast.
On the other hand, others could argue “If I am paying for Wi-Fi service and someone uses it when I am paying for it, they are stealing plain and simple. This is not gray, it is black and white” Tret T. (qtd. in “Using your neighbor’s Wi-Fi is hot topic”).
Besides the fact that the issue can be argued both ways, other problems come up, like reliability, privacy and the protection of children.
If you depend on the internet for work or other important transactions, it is probably not very useful to rely on a connection that can be terminated at any time (Hargreaves, “Stealing your neighbor’s Net”).
“There is also the possibility that someone could have set up the unsecured connection as a trap. Experts say it’s possible for the network subscriber to gain at least partial access to your computer, read your e-mails and see the pages you visit if you are using their connection. Any personal information you send online could then be compromised”(Hargreaves, “Stealing your neighbor’s Net”).
In addition, children using a secure wireless connection on their laptops could stumble on other networks, and all the protection you think you have put on your connection could be in vein (Hargreaves, “Using neighbor’s Wi-Fi is hot topic”).
After all the analysis on this subject, I tend to say that I would not want to use other people’s network; first because even though they did not secure it, may be they didn’t know how to do that. I would prefer to pay for, and secure my own network, so that my conscience would not condemn me that I am using the services that someone else paid for.
In addition, because I never know when my neighbor will turn off his connection, it would be much more reliable if I were using my own network.
Finally yet importantly, I would rather get my own network, because I would not want to risk and get in trouble with the law.
Even though under the current circumstances I would probably get away with using other people’s unsecured networks, I would not do it.
Works Cited
Hargreaves, Steve. “Stealing your neighbor’s net”. 10 Aug. 2005. 3 Feb. 2006
Hargreaves, Steve. “Using neighbor’s Wi-Fi is hot topic”. 17 Aug. 2005.
3 Feb. 2006
Kelley, Rob. “Man charged with wireless trespassing”. 7 Jul. 2005. 3 Feb. 2006
Quittner, Joshua. “Cordless Capers”. Time v.155 no 18 May 1 2000 p.85
(First Search-WilsonSelect Plus)
Snider, Michael. “The Wonders of Wi-Fi”. Maclean’s v. 116 no 11 Mar.17 2003 p.26, 33 (First Search-WilsonSelect Plus)
Wahl, Andrew. “Big Hack Attack”. Canadian Business v. 74 no 20 Oct. 29 2001
p. 107 (First Search-WilsonSelect Plus)
