There is no law anywhere that says using public access internet is illegal.
In fact, there is a mass of computer geeks who are committed to making
wireless internet available as a public service and keeping it out of the
hands of giant greedy media corporations.

The trend now is subscription WiFi services are foundering while hospitality
WiFi displaces them, so all those big companies that sunk capital in WiFi
nets are under attack by grassroots nerds.

Any ISP that allows port 25 traffic can be used to send spam anonymously but
most now block that port, requiring authenticated logon instead. So the idea
that AP's are a channel for spammers is outdated and hysterical.

-- Gnarlie

Entity tom ring spoke thus:

> Well, the law disagrees.  You are wrong.
>
> On 16 Feb 2004 at 22:36, Rik wrote:
>
>> tom ring wrote:
>>
>>> What many of you are speaking about with WiFi is considered theft, by the
>>> way.
>>> I just thought I'd mention that.
>>
>> i simply must disagree.  if it's 'up there' it's a
>> free for all.  it's essentially like putting
>> restrictions on reciving vocal emissions.  like i
>> can play a song on the tape recorder in my
>> vanagon, but you can't listen to it.
>>
>> i will say that it's a poor idea to have it up.
>> it only takes one spammer with a lap top to sit in
>> his vanagon on the corner of main and second,
>> forty five minutes to upload 1.2 million viagra
>> messages.
>>
>> the anarchist's view?  property is theft.
>>
>> personal view?  i don't care what you do in your
>> vanagon as long as it doesn't harm others.
>>
>> rolling down the windows at 57 mph, feverishly
>> typing with one hand.....
>>
>> Rik
>>
>>
>
>
> ------
> Tom Ring K0TAR, ex-WA2PHW  EN34hx
> 85 Westphalia GL Albert
> 96 Jetta GL The Intimidator
> taring@taring.org
>
> "It is better to go into a turn slow, and come out fast, than to go into a
> turn fast
> and come out dead." Stirling Moss