As more and more homes across the UK logon to the Internet superhighway the issue of secure connections is something we should all be considering. As broadband speeds continue to improve and progress, we are seeing more and more instances of unauthorised third parties making use of Wi-Fi broadband connections in the UK. While there are many issues to consider in these particular instances, none more so than the fact your own broadband speed will be affected by the more information being requested and delivered, there are also potentially legal aspects to take into consideration.
UK Internet service providers are under more and more pressure from the UK government to penalise those customers who are seen to be involved in the file-sharing of copyright material and other illegal practices. Indeed there had been a suggestion of a “three strikes and you are out” system but this has been rejected so far although we will see a tightening of the regulations and more pressure placed on the U.K.’s ISPs.
There is a distinct threat that if somebody was to “hijack” your Wi-Fi broadband signal and use this to download illegal material then you, as the customer, could well be called to account, potentially fined and even taken before the courts. For those who think this will never happen to them, it has happened to a number of unfortunate customers around the UK who through no fault of their own have been blamed for various illegal downloading activities and in many cases fined significant amounts of money.