[rmrfrmrf]

In northern Maine, everyone I know keeps their house doors unlocked and their keys sitting in the ignition of their cars. However, it's still illegal to steal their cars and enter their houses.

There doesn't even need to be a metaphor here: the data physically existed on a private server, and weev was not authorized to access it.

[Volpe]

GET google.com

What's returned is data physically on a private server. I am not authorized to access that server.

But the internet would be a pretty crap place if that was against the law.

As I said, metaphors to locked/unlocked public/private don't make sense. But happy for you to keep stretching this analogy until it fits.

[sneak]

When you put data on a private server accessible via GET with no access control or firewall, it is published on the web to the public.

Comparing it to houses that have doors, locked or otherwise, is exceptionally disingenious.

[reginaldjcooper]

That's not how HTTP servers work. They are not cars and when they send information back it is not as if you have set foot on property.