House Subcommittee Debates Reforming CFAA, Role of Diplomacy in Combating Cyberthreats

摘要

Whether the Justice Department needs the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to go after cybercriminalsnwhen unauthorized access is the only crime is ripe for debate, House Crime SubcommitteenChairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said during a subcommittee hearing Wednesday. Sensenbrennernpointed to a hypothetical situation where someone accessed a computer without authorization but did notntake any information. “Shouldn’t the Justice Department have a tool to be able to do something about thatneven though no other crime was committed?” he asked. The CFAA was used to prosecute Internet activistnAaron Swartz — who committed suicide in January before his trial — for downloading a massive archive of subscription academic articles, though Swartz's name didn't come up in the hearing and CFAA reformnwas already a priority for civil liberties groups.