XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-11, alt.comp.os.windows-10   
   From: wbe@UBEBLOCK.psr.com.invalid   
      
   In regard to the original subject ("Can my neiighbor, whose wifi I'm   
   using, see what I'm doing?"), I can't speak to what your particular   
   neighbor could or is doing, but from a theoretical standpoint, the   
   answer is Yes: some routers have the ability to do selective packet   
   tracing, allowing forwarding to somewhere else a copy of all packets   
   to and/or from a particular host, and they can then be recorded.   
      
   The packet headers (containing the IP addresses of the hosts you   
   connect to) will certainly be readable.   
      
   If the data portion is encrypted, then, to first order, it won't be   
   readable (which is why https, TLS, and other encryption is generally   
   encouraged).   
      
   If you're using a VPN, and if your DNS queries use the VPN, so that the   
   only connections your host makes are to the VPN, the IP addresses in the   
   packet headers will only be that of the VPN, not the hosts you're   
   ultimately connecting to, making those IP addresses less informative.   
      
   On to the next topic ...   
      
   As a small part of an otherwise interesting article,   
   Marian  wrote:   
   > In the United States, using a neighbor's open Wi-Fi without permission is   
   > generally considered unauthorized access under federal and state law. Even   
   > if the network is unsecured, courts have treated this as potentially   
   > illegal. Case law and statutes (like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act)   
   > support that "piggybacking" on someone else's Wi-Fi can be prosecuted,   
   > though enforcement is rare unless other crimes are involved.   
      
   [and much more]   
      
   It'll be interesting to see if/how that means Amazon Sidewalk design   
   and devices constitute widespread unauthorized access.   
      
   Sidewalk devices use Ring doorbell and Amazon Echo devices as routers   
   and are allowed to use up to 500MB worth of data from each such router.   
   The owners of these devices are not allowed to see who their devices   
   connect to (either direction).  Furthermore, Sidewalk device connections   
   are enabled and allowed by default ("opt out", not "opt in"), so this   
   will, in many cases, happen without the Ring/Echo owner's knowledge,   
   understanding, or explicit consent.   
      
    -WBE   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)