Pop Star Tells Fans To Send Their Twitter Passwords, But It Might Be Illegal (arstechnica.com)

Cyrus Farivar, reporting for Ars Technica: As a new way to connect with his fans, Jack Johnson -- one half of the pop-rap duo Jack & Jack, not to be confused with the laid back Hawaiian singer-songwriter of the same name -- has spent the last month soliciting social media passwords. Using the hashtag #HackedByJohnson, the performer has tweeted at his fans to send him their passwords. (Why he didn't go for the shorter and catchier #JackHack, we'll never know.) Then, Johnson posts under his fans' Twitter accounts, leaving a short personalized message, as them. While Johnson and his fans likely find this password sharing silly and innocuous, legal experts say that Jack Johnson, 20, may be opening himself up to civil or criminal liability under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a notorious anti-hacking statute that dates back to the 1980s. "While the entertainer in question likely considers this password collection to be a harmless personalized promotional activity, there may indeed be legal implication of both the fans' and the entertainer's conduct," Andrea Matwyshyn, a law professor at Northeastern University, told Ars.

Comments

Nope. This involves active sharing and consent.

[aristotle-dude]

There is no "hacking" involved.

Re:Nope. This involves active sharing and consent.

[Opportunist]

But for once this insane law will hit "normal" people instead of just "computer geeks". And since people only start to think about insane laws when they have a "this could have been me!" experience, this might finally get something moving there.

Re:Um, what? It isn't that scary of a law

[93 Escort Wagon]

No, we're being trolled by a law school professor who's trying to get some media exposure - and she's being aided and abetted by some person trying to get a paid at Ars Technica.