Using WiFi hotspots without permission: Cybercrime Prevention Act violation?

Posted on February 1st, 2012. Written by Rico.

The other day the Philippine Senate approved Bill 2796 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (CPACT). We’ve already pointed out that the proposed law’s vague wording may render any pornography site illegal in the Philippines. Turns out CPACT may affect how Filipinos access WiFi hotspots as well.

A reader who wished to remain anonymous told us that a clause under Chapter II, Section 4 of CPACT…

Illegal Access – The intentional access to the whole or any part of a computer system without right [defined by the reader as "without or in excess of authority"].

…may render attempts to take advantage of a free and unprotected WiFi network without the owner’s knowledge an “punishable act”, if CPACT becomes law.

WiFi as you may know is a wireless networking standard. It lets laptop and other gadget users connect to a “hotspot” and share an internet connection without wires. That obvious convenience comes with risks. Users sharing the same hotspot can access data on unprotected devices also connected to the same network, while freeloaders can leech off the free internet connection and cause slow download and upload speeds.

Hackers can also “listen” to the wireless traffic, and collect information like passwords and login information being shared on the hotspot.

To counter these risks, many wireless routers (the hardware that makes hotspots possible) require users to enter a password before they can connect. Routers with password protection also encrypt the wireless traffic, making attempts to steal information sent to and from the router much harder.

Why is connecting to a free and unprotected WiFi hotspot—again without the owner’s explicit permission—a potential violation of CPACT? Doesn’t a wireless network with no security, allow anyone to access the network by implication? Our anonymous reader makes a good analogy:

Parang sampay naman yan eh. Di naman porke pwede mong makuha, kukunin mo na. [It's like people who hang out their clothes to dry on the front lawn. Just because you can walk in and grab the clothes, doesn't mean you can.]

Whatever the case, any owner of a hotspot should protect it with a password. Forget about potential complications caused by CPACT; a secured hotspot will minimize data theft, and keeps whatever information you send to and receive from the internet safer.

In practical terms, never surf the web through a hotspot that has no password protection. We’re also talking about WiFi networks that only ask for a password after you connect to them. Just ask the hotspot’s owner or a representative (like the barista in a coffee shop) if they use WPA2 protection for their WiFi.