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Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by pbhjpbhj on Friday January 25, 2013 @03:24PM (#5117429)
Yes, I think you can.

There have been case(s) I think (in USA) concerning websites where it was argued successfully that placing an non-password protected page available on the public internet was implied consent to access/use that service.

That seems the right way to do it. You can't then, for example, put up a website which enables printing and then claim that people who use it are financially liable for using that service.

That would be like putting a bench on a busy street and then popping up and charging people if they happened to sit on it - if they sit down, you can tell them they're not authorised to sit without payment, or you can advertise lack of authorisation (eg with a price list) but otherwise you're implying consent.

Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by X-Istence on Friday January 25, 2013 @04:19PM (#5117702)
Yeah, and there is a guy currently fighting in court because he changed some numbers in a URL and was able to get information on other customers from AT&T ... CFAA.
Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by pbhjpbhj on Friday January 25, 2013 @05:37PM (#5118120)
This is different in essential details. Google are indexing these pages. That means the pages are advertised as part of the public internet.

Now not every layman knows how to properly hook things up to the internet, but there is a definite implied consent in doing so. If the pages were restricted by password and we were bypassing it, or they were locked to an IP and we could spoof it, then there wouldn't be an implied consent to access the service being provided; but that's not the case here.

If you want to look at intent then it's notable that many listed are University addresses - people setting up those printers absolutely know what they're doing.

If you purposefully used excessive paper/ink or you kill the hardware with a broken firmware update then those things are definitely not authorised by the implied consent and would constitute vandalism.

Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by jQueryIsAwesome on Friday January 25, 2013 @05:17PM (#5118017)
But we didn't change anything here; is just a website that says: "Select the file you want to print" and that's it.
Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by 0x0 on Friday January 25, 2013 @05:18PM (#5118027)
And you think the owners of the printers really enjoy others using them like that? That all those IPs are set up like this on purpose?
Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by pbhjpbhj on Friday January 25, 2013 @10:17PM (#5119086)
Is there a fact we can examine to answer that/those questions?
Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by 0x0 on Saturday January 26, 2013 @09:00AM (#5120338)
If you have to ask the question, I think you already know the answer.
Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by jQueryIsAwesome on Saturday January 26, 2013 @10:41AM (#5120601)
The enjoyment or lack of it by the printer owners is probably not a valid legal argument.
Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by 0x0 on Saturday January 26, 2013 @10:42AM (#5120604)
[Citation needed]

(also, how very considerate of you)

Re:Google has indexed thousands of publicly accessible HP pr... by 0x0 on Friday January 25, 2013 @03:52PM (#5117564)
Do you really believe that? That the owners of the printers on this public wire would appreciate, in fact deliberately encourage, anonymous users accessing them like that?