This is what you risk if you transgress this rule inscribed in the penal code. A rule that many neighbors ignore or choose to ignore.
Between neighbors, the borders are sometimes blurred. A helping hand here, a service there. But everything is not allowed. Certain behaviors, apparently harmless, are nevertheless of criminal justice. The law is not interested in habits or good faith, it sticks to the facts. And when they are called an offense, sanctions can be heavy.
In a building or a subdivision, proximity facilitates exchanges. It also gives access to information or resources that do not belong to us. The gesture often seems without consequence, however when it comes to attacks on a protected system, the penal code intervenes. The neighbor, as close as it may be, does not serve as an exemption. Unauthorized access is framed by law, even if the action is discreet, fast and without apparent damage.
The text which supervises this type of situation is clear: article 323-1 of the penal code provides for two years in prison and 60,000 euros fine for any person who accesses or fraudulently maintains in an automated data processing system. The penalty climbs to three years and 100,000 euros fine if this system is protected by a safety measure. The legislator is not concerned with the link between people, or the volume of the data concerned. What is judged is access without authorization.
The courts have already condemned this type of behavior, including when they were members of the same family or relatives. The argument of “everyone does” does not work. The law does not adapt to uses. In short, if you use your neighbor’s Wi-Fi, without its authorization, you enter a criminal setting. It doesn’t matter whether for a few minutes or occasionally. Even without password, even if the connection is open, it remains an unauthorized access to a computer system. The law considers it as an offense.
The sentence incurred can reach two years in prison and 60,000 euros fine. In other words, legally, this network belongs to the one who pays it. And connecting to it without explicit agreement amounts to crossing the line. We will have warned you.
