Should Burger King Be Prosecuted For Their Google Home-Triggering Ads? (washingtonpost.com)

Slashdot reader Lauren Weinstein thinks Burger King should be prosecuted for successfully running an alternate version of its advertisement to trigger Google Home devices again Wednesday: Someone -- or more likely a bunch of someones -- at Burger King and their advertising agency need to be arrested, tried, and spend some time in shackles and prison cells. They've likely been violating state and federal cybercrime laws with their obnoxious ad campaign... For example, the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act broadly prohibits anyone from accessing a computer without authorization... Burger King has instantly become the 'poster child' for mass, criminal abuse of these devices... It was a direct and voluntary violation of law.

Comments

Re: Someone triggered a /. dupe?

[Hylandr]

There was no exploitation, nor was there any unauthorized [access].

The device is always on, with zero expectation of authentication to access. It can be argued that since there is no authentication required as well as it's design to listen with the implied consent by the owner that it will listen to anything that any command it is capable of hearing is authentic. A change to address automated access by advertising cannot account for access by any other means.

The device also comes without any warranty implied or otherwise that it may or may not function as the owner intends and holds the developing party harmless.

Not a Lawyer but even I understand TFA was written by some butt-hurt liberal scum having a tantrum.