Originally Posted by R. Scott Clark

I agree with those who say that "piggybacking" on someone else's internet service, certainly without their explicit permission, is theft.

It's probably a violation of the terms of agreement with the ISP.

I guess it is defrauding the ISP. I guess there are commercial and residential accounts. If a coffee shop has free wireless for their customers, haven't they paid the ISP to be able to offer that inducement to customers. If you are using someone else's residential account, you're depriving the ISP of revenue they would otherwise earn.

Someone else's carelessness is not a license to steal.

rsc