This isn’t the most pressing ethical issue of the day, but it is something I (and probably you too, if you’re reading this) have bumped into: when you’re out and about with your laptop and need to check email, is it ethical to use an unsecured wireless internet connection without getting specific permission to do so?

An Ars Technica article on “stealing” WiFi argues that there’s nothing morally wrong with using somebody else’s open wireless connection (although do note that it may be illegal in some areas—it’s a bit fuzzy). Thoughts? As for myself, I don’t feel any guilt about accessing an open wireless network in a public place, but I wouldn’t use a neighbor’s open wireless network without asking first.

Like I said, it’s not a life-or-death moral quandary… but what do you think?