Several Supreme Court justices expressed doubt during a Nov. 30 oral argument that an individual convicted of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) could have that conviction set aside as a clear error by the jury under incorrect jury instructions that the justices viewed as setting a higher bar for conviction than the statute does. Critics have called for updating the CFAA to curb "overzealous prosecutions" for violations of terms of service, employer agreements, and other usage authorizations that they do not view as the target of the legislation. Earlier this year, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D., Calif.) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R., Wis.) and Sens. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) and Rand Paul (R., Ky.) reintroduced CFAA reform legislation titled "Aaron's Law" in memory of Internet activist Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide in January 2013 while facing charges under the CFAA for downloading a large number of academic journal articles through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer network.
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