How can we meet you on HF if you keep your name and callsign secret?
Use of someone else's WiFi isn't passive. It involves not only receiving but also transmitting. Your computer specifically requests every page. It is not the same as eavesdropping, and clearly your defensive remarks don't apply.
Still, the legality of "piggybacking" seems undecided. There have been arrests: through Google I found many references, including the Florida arrest in 2005 of a Saint Pete man who parked outside his neighbor's house and used his open WiFi, but I find no mention of a conviction. Maybe he copped a plea. There have been arrests in other jurisdictions too.
Regardless of legality, it's dishonest and could harm the victim. Suppose, for example, the victim is near his monthly limit, and you run him past it, and his ISP bills him extra? Could happen. Suppose he's watching a movie, and saturating his connection, and you add traffic and muck up his streamed video? Not nice.
Since they're your cousins -- or he's your cousin -- or she is -- you mix singular and plural indiscriminately so it's hard to know -- but since you have permission you're likely in the clear, though the cousin(s) may be violating the contract with the ISP. Comcast, for instance, places a prohibition in every home-user contract. So do many other ISPs, but not all.
Of course, if you hack his router by guessing his password, you're clearly over a line of decency, and probably over a line of legality too. But I believe you, that you didn't do that.
What were your name and callsign again?
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-- Carl
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