Many folks havent thought about what happens when they leave their wireless connection open, others allow it, this article explains some of the social and legal issues involved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/05/technology/05wireless.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1141621200&en=c03664957b751167&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=sloginPiggybacking, makers of wireless routers say, is increasingly an issue for people who live in densely populated areas like New York City or Chicago, or for anyone clustered in apartment buildings in which Wi-Fi radio waves, with an average range of about 200 feet, can easily bleed through walls, floors and ceilings. Large hotels that offer the service have become bubbling brooks of free access that spill out into nearby homes and restaurants.
"Wi-Fi is in the air, and it is a very low curb, if you will, to step up and use it," said Mike Wolf of ABI Research, a high-technology market research company in Oyster Bay, N.Y.
This is especially true, Mr. Wolf said, because so many users do not bother to secure their networks with passwords or encryption programs. The programs are usually shipped with customers' wireless routers, devices that plug into an Internet connection and make access to it wireless. Many home network owners admit that they are oblivious to piggybackers.
Some users say they have protected their computers but have decided to keep their networks open as a passive protest of what they consider the exorbitant cost of Internet access.
For those who are computer literate enough to protect their private files from being shared on a network it seems its not much of a big deal but for those who dont its like being burgled.
This activity for the record is illegal in many countries, but lets look beyond that, should you decided to piggy-back on an open wireless connection, its good manners to not penalise the networks owner by indulging in any sort of practice that may have an impact on them, lets respect each other and not assume an unlocked door is a open invitation to enter.
