Have you ever borrowed a smartphone without asking? Modified a URL? Scraped a website? Called an undocumented API? Congratulations: you might have violated federal law! A 1986 statute, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), provides both civil and criminal remedies for mere "unauthorized" access to a computer. This event aimed to provide a geek perspective on the CFAA. Leading researchers, tinkerers, and entrepreneurs explained the broad reach of computer trespass law and their first-hand experience with its chilling effects. All agree that serious intrusions warrant a remedy. But how can the law better distinguish between innovation and exploitation?
Speakers:
Dan Auerbach, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Ed Felten, Princeton University
Jennifer Granick, Stanford University
Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive
Jonathan Mayer, Stanford University
Alex Stamos, Artemis Internet