Internet Access and Computer Fraud Laws

DrJimbo writes "Groklaw has an explanatory article covering the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in layman's terms. The article discusses legal precedents that might make it illegal to access much of the internet. The article is a response to a claim by SCO that IBM violated the CFAA by downloading GPL'ed software from SCO's public HTTP and FTP sites."

Comments

Dear Groklaw,

[Neil Blender]

YHBT. HAND.

Chinee Illegality outside of the USA?

[Anonymous Coward]

American laws which purport to illegalize behavior on the Internet have a major loophole: most of the Internet is outside of the USA. Most spam, viruses, and malware originate in China, so do most advertisements for human trafficking (e.g. sex slaves).

If a Chinese thug sells, on an Internet web page, a Chinese child for indentured servitude, what can American law enforcement do?

Maybe extrajudicial vigilantism has a role here. Americans go to Taiwan and kill the Chinese thug selling children on the Internet.

In the name of God!

[Lord Kano]

Can we please get a new Unabomber already. SCO seems a ripe target to me.

LK