Germans face fines for leaving Wifi unsecured

German internet users face a 100-euro fine if they leave their wireless connection unsecured, following a ruling from the country's top criminal court.

The decision effectively outlaws open Wifi.

The ruling follows a lawsuit from a musician whose work was illegally downloaded and posted online - using an internet connection belonging to a man who was actually away on vacation at the time.

Despite this, the court ruled that the man was to an extent responsible for the download, as he hadn't done anything to prevent it.

"Private users are obliged to check whether their wireless connection is adequately secured to the danger of unauthorized third parties abusing it to commit copyright violation," said the court.

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