Sometimes I worry that in a decade, China will have more freedoms than the United States. Case in point: The lunacy of raising felony charges against a guy for using a coffee shop’s open Wi-Fi connection to check e-mail and surf the Web on his days-old laptop. The shop owner didn’t mind, but the local Michigan cops and prosecutors were ready to prosecute—and put this guy in prison for as long as five years.
The Wi-Fi was technically only free to customers, and this guy parked across the street to gain access. But he didn’t hack in or anything; the Wi-Fi connection was open—unencrypted. Some advice: If you’re ever in Michigan and rush into the local McDonald’s to use the bathroom, think again if that sign says “Customers Only”.
Tweet. Tweet. Jailbird.
Photo Credit: Sean Hoyer