Hey Thoughty2 here.
You may surprised to hear that a lot of things you do that you think are perfectly innocent
may, in fact, be illegal.
1.
Imagine this scene, you’re in the pub with your mates watching the game, and you decide
to make a bet on the game’s outcome.
If you bet over $2,000 you just broke the law and it can land you up to 10 years in
prison.
This actually happened in 2005 when a cop overheard a guy named Sal Culosi make a bet
of over $2,000 in a bar.
The next morning a SWAT team arrived at his doorstep to arrest him and shot him through
the heart.
2.
Number 2 is connecting to unsecure WiFi networks.
Connecting to any wireless network you don’t own or have permission to use, even if it
isn’t password protected can land you in prison for at least 2 years and you may have
to pay up to a $10,000 fine.
Considering that most modern phones and wireless devices automatically seek out and connect
to nearby WiFi networks makes this an extremely easy law to break.
It’s extremely unlikely you’ll actually be caught in the act, despite this there have
been at least 4 known cases in the US where people have been arrested and locked up for
using other people’s WiFi.
3.
Speaking of the internet, at number 3 is using a fake name online.
It may sound stupid but the next time you signup to a website under the alias of SuperNinja66
you’ve actually broken the law.
It’s considered illegal under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to fake your identity
online and can net you between 5 and 20 years in prison.
4.
At 4 is writing disturbing material.
Okay this doesn’t apply everywhere but in some US states for example, Illinois, it is
illegal to write “disturbing fiction”.
It doesn’t even matter if you publish it or not, if someone finds disturbing material
that you’ve written and finds it offensive you could be fined up to $1,500 and face up
to 30 days in jail.
It’s even worse in Oklahoma, where you can face up to 10 years in prison for writing
a fictional story wherein a person gets injured or killed.
5.
At 5 is a peculiar law you’ve probably broken countless times in your life.
In the UK and certain US states, such as Alaska, it is actually illegal to be drunk in a pub
or a bar.
The law defines being drunk as having “lost steady self-control”.
Although very few people are ever prosecuted for this, in practice the courts use markers
such as glazed eyes, slurred speech and unsteadiness to determine if one is properly badgered enough
to face charges for being drunk in a pub.
6.
Number 6 is a law that you’ve probably contravened more than any.
It is illegal to sing Happy Birthday in public.
Why?
Because it’s copyrighted.
In 1988 Warner Chappell Music purchased the rights to the song for $25 million dollars.
Meaning restaurants that play the song have to pay royalties to Warner.
Collectively these royalties net Warner a handsome $2 million dollars a year.
In 1995 the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers tried to extort money
from 2,300 girl scout groups because they regularly sang Happy Birthday around the campfire
without paying royalties.
However the American press released a PR nightmare upon ASCAP and they quickly backed down once
they realised what utter tits they were being.
7.
And finally, in most of the US it’s illegal to possess a permanent marker or aerosol can
in public if you are under the age of 18.
So if you ever took part in an arts and crafts day as a child you’re technically a hardened
criminal.
There was a controversial case in 2010 when a 13 year old Oklahoma City boy was arrested
for using a permanent marker in class.
The teen was writing on a piece of paper using a permanent marker and the ink had bled through
onto the desk underneath.
His teacher actually made a citizens arrest on the kid and he was handed over to the Police
and arrested.
Thanks for the view, subscribe for more Thoughty2.