The dangers of leaving a WiFi network unsecured go far beyond the threat of someone peeking in at your Facebook posts. But in early 2012 we learned just how frighteningly convoluted the situation can be when a pornographer sued a number of individuals, alleging they used their WiFi connections to access a file-sharing service and download the creator’s video content. The plaintiff, Liberty Media, focused the suit on owners of IP addresses through which one particular pornographic video was accessed. Although we may presume that in some of these situations, the video was downloaded by individuals who accessed it through an unsecured wireless connection, the plaintiff was undeterred. It argued that either the network owners did in fact download the copyrighted video, or by failing to secure their wireless networks, they were negligent and therefore responsible.
