Have you sung happy birthday recently, or went on the Internet while at Starbucks? Well, if you have, you broke the law! Really! There are quite a few laws out there that you, and millions of others (including cops), have probably broken, but didn’t realize it.
● Singing Happy Birthday in public could quickly any happy birthday into a sad one. The song is actually copyrighted. Just because it’s almost absurd NOT to sing the song during the party doesn’t mean the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers won’t file a suit. They actually threatened to sue the Girl Scouts of America.
● Connecting to public WiFi networks, or wifi squatting, is against the law, even if it doesn’t ask for a password. Most people don’t consider this, especially if they only need the Internet for a short moment.
● Providing a false name online for emails or username accounts makes people think they are protecting their own privacy. But, this act is illegal and can relate to fraud. So even using Twitter under a different name can mean you are contributing to illegal activity.
If it helps, you’re not the only person to have broken these laws without realizing it. The majority of people will be in the same boat as you too! It’s highly unlikely you will be approached by the police for these “crimes” – unless something more serious stems from the case – but it is good, and interesting, to know and be aware of this. (Who would have thought singing happy birthday is illegal!)
