Some have compared free Wi-Fi to an unlocked home and others have suggested that an open connection should not be assumed to be free. I'll suggest that you, as a user, can not identify the difference between a wireless access point that's being made available to anyone that can see the network and the one that wants to remain private. The fundamental problem is that these wireless gateways or routers are supplied out of the box with security turned off and the implementation of WEP or any other security method is not intuitive to the networking novice. I know that any commercial entity that's providing advertised free access will most likely still greet you with the usual disclaimer screen when you first access their network. But the guy that lives next to the marina or the marina that's willing to allow you to ride their network, how are you to tell their networks from the ones that are simply just not locked down? Let your conscience be your guide, Gil