Personal Internet Use on Workplace Computers Could Be a Crime, Profs Say in Law Review Article
Despite workplace policies that may technically prohibit employees from using on-the-job computers for Web browsing or other personal purposes, many routinely do so.
But violating such rules doesn’t simply create a potential for issues with an employer, two professors say in an upcoming American Business Law Journal article. It could conceivably be prosecuted as a crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Tech News Daily reports.
Social Science Research Network provides an abstract of the article by Stephanie M. Greene and Christine Neylon O’Brien of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
The authors point out that some federal appeals courts which have considered the issue are willing to literally apply the CFAA, which was enacted in 1986 and intended to deter and punish hackers, to those who “exceed authorized access” on company computers.
Hat tip: Mashable.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Former Programmer Accused of Stealing Source Code Wants Goldman Sachs to Pay $2.4M Legal Fees”
Computer Fraud/Data Protection: “Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Count Dismissed Against Goldman Sachs Computer Programmer Charged with Stealing Source Code”
