Kim du Toit comments on a story about a young man accused of stealing wireless internet from a public library after hours.

Kim thinks this is theft, but honestly, I can’t see it that way. If the network was secured in anyway, sure — then, it’s like tapping into an electric outlet or splicing into my neighbor’s cable or water line. But if not, it’s more like my neighbor sets up a sprinkler so that, in half of it’s arc, it sprays on my yard. Then, noticing that only that portion of my yard is green, he accuses me of “stealing” his water.

Ordinarily, I agree with Kim, but in this case, I just can’t. What the kid in question did was neither immoral nor illegal — the library was putting out a welcome mat for anyone to use their internet, and he took advantage of that fact.