Rogue Nantucket WiFi cop embroiders the truth (some more)

By Cory Doctorow at 4:21 pm Tuesday, Sep 7

Remember when Reverend AKMA got told off for "theft of services" when he used the Nantucket Atheaneum's open WiFi from a bench out front, by a copper who invented a fictituous Federal regulation forbidding same? Well now the Nantucket paper has run a story in which the cop has embroidered the incident to make it all seem so very very very sinister indeed.

After I first read the story, I was amused, and put it aside to blog here. In transcribing the story for this entry, though, I'm struck by the odd inconcinnity of this account with my own experience. The Deputy Chief's story sounds very little like what happened to me.

* The mysterious "tapper" was leaning against the rear of the Atheneum; I was sitting on a public benchbeside the Atheneum.

* The newspaper story says that this incident gave rise to a "rumor" that "the police considered outdoor users. . . to be engaged in a theft of services," but in fact that's exactly what the officer who rousted me told me.

* The story says that this took place "a month ago," but if the article was published last week (when the weekly paper would have had to go to press in order for it to get to my mom, who then clipped it and mailed it to me), the incident couldn't have taken place longer ago than two weeks, give or take a day.

Link (Thanks, AKMA)