using a neighbors wifi: is it stealing?

[Banquo's Ghost]

Assuming the owner of the wifi router has unlimited, unmetered internet access, using the connection without permission would be more akin to trespassing. Nothing is being taken, but someone is on your "property" without your permission.

That's a big assumption. Here, many people have cheaper deals for broadband based on capped limits. Even so-called "unlimited" bandwidth is nothing of the sort, subject to a "fair use" cap. If one exceeds the usage cap, one gets an extra charge.

So a piggybacker may well cost someone real money by exceeding the owner's bandwidth. Still not stealing?

This is where, I think, arguments for "no injury, no crime" fall down. They assume bandwidth is an infinite resource. I would not be happy if someone linked their home up to my electricity supply, and nor would I be keen on freeloaders on my bandwidth. I would consider both thieves, however sophistic their excuses.

[drone]

That's a big assumption. Here, many people have cheaper deals for broadband based on capped limits. Even so-called "unlimited" bandwidth is nothing of the sort, subject to a "fair use" cap. If one exceeds the usage cap, one gets an extra charge.

So a piggybacker may well cost someone real money by exceeding the owner's bandwidth. Still not stealing?

This is where, I think, arguments for "no injury, no crime" fall down. They assume bandwidth is an infinite resource. I would not be happy if someone linked their home up to my electricity supply, and nor would I be keen on freeloaders on my bandwidth. I would consider both thieves, however sophistic their excuses.

Exceeding a bandwidth cap would constitute stealing, just like hijacking a cordless phone base to make long-distance calls. These acts cost the owner of the equipment money. Bandwidth caps are coming, but at the moment those connections are a minority here in the US. This is why I specified "unlimited and unmetered". For this type of internet connection, the piggybacker is trespassing, not stealing. The owner should lock the door if he doesn't want random stangers walking through his house.

Once bandwidth caps become more common, maybe people will take their wifi security (and PC security in general) a little more seriously. Probably better for everyone in the long run. At the moment, having a zombified PC spamming and DoSing as part of a botnet is not an upfront cost for the owner (aside from the probable identity theft). If the internet bill has lots of bandwidth cap charges on it, maybe the clueless owners will wake up and do something about locking down their PCs and connections.