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Everyday online activities you didn’t know were illegal

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As it turns out, a lot of us are breaking the law every day. And the majority of the offences we’re committing are online.

If you’ve ever connected to an unsecure Wi-Fi network, shared your Netflix password with someone, or even if you have a second Instagram profile under a different name – a ‘finsta’ to be specific – you might not know it, but you’ve broken the law.

Don’t worry though, you’re not going to jail because you gave your friend your login details so they could watch the latest season of Stranger Things. But because so many of us are apparently freeloading off of other people’s accounts, several streaming services are losing a ton of money every year and they’re not happy about it.

Luckily, the law’s pretty vague and it’s super unlikely it’ll be enforced, although I’d watch out because if no one’s paying for content, they’re gonna stop making it and I don’t know about you but I’m dying to find out what actually happened to Hopper.

Speaking of watching stuff online, how about those of us that don’t bother with a subscription and instead go for the (obviously) cheaper and concerningly easy option of pirating video content from some dodgy website we found after typing in ‘watch Avengers Endgame online free.’

This is probably the riskiest of them all, especially if you download the movie or series, because then you’re infringing copyright laws and you can end up getting fined.

The same goes for saving images, GIFs, and memes from Google (or any other browser for that matter). That’s right, while some use public domain and creative commons as a source, a lot of the material tends to be pre-owned and then it’s technically illegal. Seriously, I’m just as surprised as you are.

Oh, and though most of us don’t go around stealing our neighbour’s Wi-Fi – it’s called ‘piggybacking’ and is legally classed as theft – next time you’re at Starbucks and fancy scrolling through Twitter while you drink your coffee, don’t be tempted to log onto an unsecure network because then you’re hacking and that can get you arrested.

Personally, what shocked me most was that parody accounts on social media are also considered a minor offence.

Let me explain. I’m sure you’re already aware that faking your name is illegal, I mean, identity theft is definitely a very real thing. But that private insta profile you have for only your closest friends to follow? Also illegal. Well, there’s a fine line, but if you haven’t clearly labelled it as fake or a parody, you might get into some trouble.

So, are you the law-abiding citizen you thought you were? Probably not if you’ve ever uploaded a video of yourself singing happy birthday to the internet which, yes, is a crime as well becuase the song is copyrighted *logs off and throws phone away*.

Feature Media Manager & Senior Writer London, UK

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Deputy Editor & Media Partnership Manager at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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