Here's an example: "In St. Petersburg, 2005, Benjamin Smith III was arrested and charged with "unauthorized access to a computer network", a third-degree felony

Here's an example: "In St. Petersburg, 2005, Benjamin Smith III was arrested and charged with "unauthorized access to a computer network", a third-degree felony in the state of Florida, after using a resident's wireless network from a car parked outside." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking#United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking#United... Or: Using a neighbor's wireless access point may not be legal even with their permission. The answer varies depending on the policies of residential Internet service providers and plans among other factors. (...) Many U.S. states prohibit unauthorized access to computer networks including open Wi-Fi networks. While interpretations of these laws may vary, some precedents have been set in recent years: 2007 - a man in Michigan was fined for using the Wi-Fi hotspot of a local cafe, from his car 2006 - Illinois man David Kauchak was fined for unauthorized use of a local agency's Wi-Fi access point 2005 - a Florida man faced felony charges for piggybacking onto a neighbor's Internet connection without their permission http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelessfaqs/f/legal_free_wifi.htm http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelessfaqs/f/legal_free... And: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/pr_burning_wifi_squatting/ http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/pr_burning_wifi_squatt...