The average citizen doesn't usually have to worry about breaking the law.
Most of us pay our taxes, wear our seatbelts, and honestly try our best not to smuggle kilos
of anything across the border.
But all across the United States, there are numerous eccentric laws that people break
every day.
Get ready to face the truth, because here are some laws you may have been breaking your
whole life.
Public fun
Tossing a Frisbee with your friends at the beach probably doesn't make anyone feel like
a hardened criminal.
However, the Frisbee in particular has a long legal history.
In the 1970s, Los Angeles made it a crime to throw anything except a beach ball on public
beaches.
That was later changed to a ruling that you can only throw Frisbees in designated areas
away from the public, a law that's still in effect today — even if nobody follows it.
By the same token, there are a bunch of weird rules about what you can do in national parks.
For example, it's a federal crime to roll anything down a hill.
Anything.
No toboggan.
No Zorb ball.
Nothing that could cause someone to take a hit, start an avalanche, or disturb the wildlife,
so … okay, fair enough.
If you're going to enjoy life, keep it to yourself, you criminal.
Friendly wagers
Let's say it's the World Cup or whatever, and you're participating in a friendly bet
with your buddies.
Sure, that seems like fun.
But technically it has consequences.
These days, it's generally accepted that you can make a bet in most U.S. states, but it's
illegal to take bets.
So as long as you're not breaking legs as the neighborhood bookie, you're in the clear.
But according to Fortune, "About half of the 50 states do have ancient laws on the books
that criminalize the making of bets."
"Put your money where your mouth is."
"You mean bet?"
"Yeah."
Of course, the anti-gambling laws differ from state to state and they're fuzzy at best.
Prosecution is extremely unlikely, mostly because the police have bigger fish to fry.
Lying online
We all get a name at birth, so there's really no need to pretend to be anybody else.
Some people end up changing their name, and that's perfectly fine — as long as you're
not deceiving anyone or pretending to be someone you're not.
"If you want the table, you have to be Cranjis McBasketball."
[Laughter] "My name is Cranjis McBasketball."
"Right this way."
But using a fake name on the internet is actually particularly serious because it poses a cyber
threat and violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
NPR notes you could be prosecuted for everything from "using a fake name on Facebook or lying
about your weight in an online dating profile."
Social networks specifically have a strict written agreement that's meant to protect
users and their activity.
Both Facebook and Instagram explicitly prohibit using a fake name in their Terms of Service.
So if you've ever whipped up a fake account for any reason, you have, in fact, broken
the law.
Using unsecured Wi-Fi
With the internet being such a huge part of daily life, it's not that unusual to connect
to a random Wi-Fi network.
Easy enough?
Yes.
Harmless?
Hmm, probably … but since you've technically accessed a network without authorization,
you just violated that pesky Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
And suddenly, that sounds pretty darn illegal.
"Hooooooo… ohhhhh oh oh."
The good news is, you probably won't get prosecuted — according to Wired, most of the time something
like that is only used in court to add charges onto some other crime.
But you still shouldn't go out of your way to check your email on some unsecured hotspot
in your neighborhood.
It's ridiculously easy for anyone to see what you're doing.
Sharpie smackdown
Nobody would expect to get arrested for owning a permanent marker.
Unless you're, you know, robbing a bank with one...
"Don't move."
But writing with one?
That's literally what they're made for, right?
Well, you better check your local laws.
In 2010, a 13-year-old boy in Oklahoma was busted for illegal marker possession and escorted
by police to a juvenile holding center.
Even though he was simply writing with the marker at school — on a piece of paper — he
violated an obscure city ordinance that prohibits permanent markers or aerosol cans on private
property.
If he was writing on the walls, yeah, okay.
But getting into trouble for correctly using a Sharpie?
That seems like overkill.
Dog tags
Just like humans need a license to drive, pets usually need a license to be owned.
In Los Angeles, for example, it's required by law for dogs to have a license as a form
of identification.
The license also indicates what vaccinations the dog has had, which is handy if Fluffy
decides to take a chunk out of the mailman.
If you get caught without a dog license somewhere like New York City, there's a $120 fine.
That's steep for a service that you could easily miss in animal shelters or veterinary
clinics.
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