Aaron Mackey and Kurt Opsahl of EFF write: The Supreme Court’s Van Buren decision today overturned a dangerous precedent and clarified the notoriously ambiguous meaning of “exceeding authorized access” in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the federal computer crime law that’s been misused to prosecute beneficial and important online activity. The decision is a victory for all Internet…
Category: Federal
Diverse six-justice majority rejects broad reading of computer-fraud law
Ronald Mann writes: The Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday in Van Buren v. United States provides the court’s first serious look at one of the most important criminal statutes involving computer-related crime, the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s opinion for a majority 0f six firmly rejected the broad reading of that statute that the…
ZA: President Ramaphosa signs Cyber Crimes Bill into law
Admire Moyo reports: The Cyber Crimes Bill, which seeks to bring SA’s cyber security laws in line with the rest of the world, has just been signed into law by president Cyril Ramaphosa. According to law firm Werksmans Attorneys, this Bill, which is now an Act of Parliament, creates offences for and criminalises, among others,…
New Privacy Bill Provides Opt-Out Rights and New Data Security Requirements
Andrew Longhi, Jayne Ponder, and Libbie Canter of Covington & Burling write: To add to the growing list of federal privacy frameworks introduced this year, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has re-introduced the bipartisan Social Media Privacy Protection and Consumer Rights Act of 2021 (S. 1667). Senator Klobuchar introduced the bill originally in 2018 and 2019, although it did…
After Colonial Pipeline Hack, U.S. to Require Operators to Report Cyberattacks
Rebecca Smith reports: The Transportation Security Administration intends to release the first of at least two security directives that would require pipeline operators to notify it when they are targets or victims of cyberattacks, according to senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security. The action, expected this week, also will require each company to…
In: Hacking, Data Theft Attract Offences Under IPC Also, Not Just Information Technology Act : Supreme Court
Mehal Jain reports: The Supreme Court on Tuesday remarked that in a case of hacking and data theft, in addition to penal provisions of the IT Act, offences under the IPC would also be attracted and that the IT Act would not exclude the applicability of the IPC. Read more on LiveLaw.in. Related: Order.