It is estimated that media users spend more than two hours every single day on the internet. During your time online, there are certain activities that can get you into trouble, resulting in jail time or costly fines. Stay away from these online activities to ensure you are not committing a crime.

1. Illegally Downloading Content

If you illegally download movies, TV shows, books, or music, you are committing a crime known as copyright infringement. It may be tempting to skip a few purchases to save a few bucks, but doing so can cost you significantly more in the long run.

Copyright infringement is punishable by time in prison and fines. 

2. Selling an Item and Not Shipping It

You decide to rid your house of clutter and list  a few items on an online auction site. One of the items sells and you receive the payment, but you forget to send it. This is known as non-delivery of merchandise. If convicted of this crime, you may go to jail or be forced to pay restitution.

To avoid this situation, it is important to keep an eye on any items you are selling online. If you ever forget to ship an item, make sure you refund the buyer's money.

3. Hacking

At some point, you may tempted to hack into your friend, family member, or significant other's account by guessing the password. Though this may seem like no big deal, it is actually a form of hacking to guess the password to someone's account. This a crime punishable by jail time.

4. Making Threats

You are involved in a heated online argument, and you wind up making threatening comments to the individual you are arguing with. Even if you don't mean what you say, these comments can get you in trouble. They are considered threats; if they are reported to the police, you may go to prison if you are found guilty.

5. Using Someone Else's WiFi without Permission

After sitting down at your computer to work on an important project, you quickly discover that your WiFi isn't working. Resetting your router doesn't fix the problem. You quickly check your connection options and discover that you can access your neighbor's internet connection. Thought this seems like an obvious solution to your problem, it is illegal to use an individual or entity's internet service without permission. 

Make sure you make the most of your time online. By avoiding these activities, you stay out jail and on the internet. For more information, talk to a professional like Medeiros & Associates.