Possible legal action for those that do not secure their WiFi connections

Following a landmark case in Germany fears have been sparked that consumers in the UK could end up being fined or having legal action taken out against them if they fail to properly secure their WiFi connections.

According to recent reports a recent case in Germany saw a consumers being fined for leaving his WiFi connection without adequate protection, which then resulted in the connection being used for illegal downloading. The case has now sparked fears that consumers in the UK could end up at the receiving end of legal action if they fail to properly secure their wireless networks.

The claim that fines or legal action could be taken against those that do not secure their wireless connections has come from Lilian Edwards, professor of internet law at the University of Sheffield. The fines and legal action could come as a result of the controversial Digital Economy Act.

Edwards stated: “The German case is an illustration of what could happen here, so it’s a bit of a salutary warning. At the moment there’s no legal requirement to lock down your network – it’s not a crime to leave it open, but it may break the terms and conditions of your ISP, and it could take legal action.”

Whilst it is something of a grey area at present it is thought that under the Digital Economy Act broadband subscribers could face action if they enabled others to take part in illegal file sharing by failing to secure their wireless networks, hence giving others access to their connection. Edwards added: “There’s no real definition of what ‘allow’ means and it could be that not setting a password could be taken as ‘allowing’ someone to use your network.”

Source – PC Pro