YOU could be breaking the law online on a regular basis without even realising.
Some offences are worse than others and could see you fined if you’re caught.
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Here are four online activities that you should avoid.
Sharing passwords
Lots of people share passwords for streaming services like Netflix or Disney+.
It’s so common that you may not be aware this can break the terms of service of your account.
For example, if you sign up for a single user Netflix account but share the login details with multiple people, you’re breaking the terms of services.
The U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act also implies using someone else’s password online is a crime.
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Watching movies for free
You may have had a friend tell you about a “great link” to a free movie website or have seen one posted about online.
Before you start streaming or downloading any films from these links, be aware that downloading or streaming copyright-protected content without permission is illegal.
Illegal movie streaming sites have also been known to spread malware and you could end up with a computer virus.
Bypassing paywalls
A lot of popular news websites now have paywalls.
It may be tempting to try and bypass them but using browser extensions or other tricks to get around them is technically illegal.
A report by Fox News points out that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act states getting around technology that is there to restrict access to copyrighted material is against the law.
Using copyrighted videos or images
If you take someone else’s content and post it on your own website or put it in a YouTube video, you could find yourself sued for copyright infringement.
This can apply to things like music, video clips, photos and even memes.
Some content is in the public domain and free to share and it’s also unlikely you’d get in trouble for posting a meme on Facebook without the creators permission.
However, it’s definitely something to watch out for as you can be fined thousands for using another person’s work without asking or paying them first.
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