[wplug] On the subject of wardriving...

[Doug Green]

I detest Verizon, but thought I'd share my experience with this issue:

Once upon a time I had Verizon, with multiple computers connected within my
home. I called their tech support for some connectivity issues that I was
having, and they were aware of my configuration (it didn't even occur to me
that this would violate their terms of service). They were perfectly OK with
my use, but they would not provide support for any "network" related issues
in my home. Their support was horrible anyways, so this didn't deter me
much.

Additionally, I have a friend (who will remain nameless- and no, he's not
imaginary) who "shares" Verizon to multiple (14 at last count) additional
users who split the bill. This individual lives in an apartment building
with other students, and has literally run cat-5 through the ductwork to
adjoining apartments. Somehow, Verizon does not seem to care! He claims that
they are aware of his use, but have never given him a hard time about it.

I'm pretty sure that if they DO develop an problem with your particular use,
they will first issue a cease/desist order before they take any kind of
additional legal action. While it may be within their "rights" do come after
you, it would probably not be successful (or cost effective) without first
trying to contact you to resolve the issue.

In summary, my perspective is that "creative use" is OK until explicitly
stated otherwise.

-Doug



On 3/29/05 8:24 AM, "John Harrold" <jmh17 at pitt.edu> wrote:

> Sometime in March Bill Moran assaulted the keyboard and produced:
> 
> | This is the kind of assumption that is liable to get you in legal trouble.
> | 
> | It's like saying that you tried the door and it was unlocked, so it's
> | obviously OK to come in ... and since nothing was bolted down, it's
> | obviously OK to take whatever you want.
> 
> I don't believe that me walking into some random persons house and taking
> their
> possesesions is any comparison to me using my girlfriends wireless
> access when I'm in town. In the legal sense, I believe breaking and
> entering is a criminal offense where breach of contract is a civil matter.
> 
> | If their TOS say it's not OK, then it doesn't matter what configuration
> | they ship their stuff in.  If you want to test the waters to see what
> | you can get away with, that's your decision, but the presumptions you're
> | making are unlikely to stand up if they ever come to court.
> 
> Just in case someone was wondering. The verizon terms of service (at least
> for the 412.441 exchange) have the following:
> 
> http://www2.verizon.net/policies/tos_printable.asp
> 
> 3.6 If you subscribe to Broadband Service:
> 
> B. You may connect multiple computers/devices within a single home or office
>    location to your Broadband modem and/or router to access the Service, but
>    only through a single Broadband account and a single IP address obtained
>    from Verizon.
> 
> Also, they mention nothing expilicitly about wireless access. I assume with
> the stuff I said previously, and 3.6.B up there, that it is ok to share
> wireless access.