Thousands of people who have computers with wireless technology (wi-fi) are known to access the internet free by using other people’s networks. The practice, known as piggybacking, has always been thought of as a victimless offence because most people who are exploited pay fixed monthly rates for their access, and incur no extra costs if others use their network.

But technology experts gave warning last night that thousands of prosecutions and hefty fines could follow the conviction of a man for accessing the internet via somebody else’s link.

Gregory Straszkiewicz, 24, appeared in court at the end of last month charged with dishonestly obtaining an electronic communications service, for which he was given a £500 fine and a 12-month conditional discharge. He also had both his computer and wireless card confiscated.

Phil Cracknell, the chief technology officer at NetSurity, a computer security firm, said that the ruling set a precedent that would have repercussions for many of Britain’s estimated one million wi-fi users.

“The message is clear,” Mr Cracknell said. “This is a line in the sand. Individuals who feel that it is harmless to connect to an open network — or indeed even if they connect to one by accident — have to take heed and be very careful.”

He said that though some people deserved prosecution, the law was currently too crude to discern between different levels of abuse and could result in inappropriate court actions.

Mr Cracknell added that pressure should be put on computer manufacturers and software companies to prevent unauthorised wi-fi access. He said that many computer users inadvertently piggybacked on to other people’s networks after being invited to do so by the software programmes they were using.

Straszkiewicz is believed to have been caught after being discovered using his laptop while sitting in his car outside the home of a wi-fi user in Ealing, West London.

He had been seen in the area on several previous occasions over the past three months and was reported to police by a neighbour who had become concerned that he was acting suspiciously. Police arrested Straszkiewicz, also of Ealing, under the Computer Misuse Act and examined his laptop, which revealed that he had been in the area periodically for two to three months.

He was found guilty at a hearing two weeks ago at Isleworth Crown Court of two offences against the Communications Act 2003 for dishonestly obtaining an electronic communication service.

Stephen Rothwell, an officer based at Ealing CID, said: “This case is the first of its type in the UK and it sets an example to people who try and avoid paying for the internet.”

Until now, using other people’s wi-fi was considered more cheeky than criminal. With wi-fi operating at speeds up to 20 times faster than normal connections, a piggybacker is unlikely to slow down a user’s system unless they download huge files. But there are growing concerns about the ease with which networks can be accessed. In the US last year, Brian Salcedo, 21, was sentenced to nine years in prison for siphoning credit card numbers over a wireless network from a hardware store.

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