[QualityReboot]

> Note: this is most likely illegal .. in every jurisdiction. So .. don't actually do this.

Sad if true. If a service is providing public DNS access without any service agreement, I don't see how making DNS queries with it could be illegal, especially on a public radio channel.

You might be right, but how?

It's certainly within their right to ban you by filtering out certain queries though.

[AdamJacobMuller]

It's theft of service.

Remember as abstract as the law can be, the legal system is not going to be amused by contrivances like "they were offering DNS service free and clear, so tunneling youtube over DNS is fine"

The legal system is going to understand that you were trying to circumvent paying for services and treat it appropriately.

[QualityReboot]

How can it be theft of service when they can deny you service at any time automatically by identifying abnormally heavy users and removing them?

This isn't like bypassing the electrical grid by running your own line from somebody else's service.

This is like saying it's theft of service to read a chapter in the bookstore. If you hang out there all day, you might get kicked out, but that's not a crime.

The courts might agree with you, but only because "computers are hard".

There's a world of difference between tunneling over DNS and compromising servers. Or at least, there should be.

[ohazi]

Iirc, tunneling with iodine is somewhat slow, so

> tunneling youtube over DNS is fine

probably wasn't going to work very well anyway. (Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, though!)

[wongarsu]

Apart from the theft angle it's also knowingly and maliciously circumventing access control systems. That's usually covered under anti-hacking laws

[QualityReboot]

I'm floored that this is apparently how people are reasoning about the world now. Especially on HN.

There is no circumventing of any access control here. If a service is giving a public access point, on public spectrum, and they let you connect, and they allow you to use DNS, you should be able to use DNS however their access control systems allow you to use it.

Now if you find an exploit in their captive portal that allows you access to their service, then sure, that's illegal, because you're breaking into something.

You can't circumvent access controls if the access control list is wide open.