Please join the SF Bay Area Internet Society Chapter for a tech policy webinar on 13 September 2021 at 3pm (PT) for a discussion on the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling which narrowed the reach of the federal anti-computer hacking statute, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

In CFAA v Van Buren, the Supreme Court overturned an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision which had found that a former policeman who used law enforcement computers and databases to improperly look up a license plate violated the CFAA. In overturning that decision, the Supreme Court constrained the CFAA’s prohibition on “exceeding authorized access” to prohibiting someone from accessing particular computer files, services, or other parts of the computer that are otherwise off-limits to them. Importantly, the Court disagreed with the 11th Circuit decision that had broadly allowed CFAA liability based on a person merely violating a website’s terms of service or an employers’ computer use restrictions.

Hear from amici arguing both sides in the precedent-setting case on the decision’s impact for ordinary Internet users, journalists, security researchers and others. Speakers include Megan Iorio, Legal Counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Gabe Rottman, Technology and Press Freedom Project Director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP). The webinar is moderated by Robin Gross, SF Bay Area ISOC Policy Chair and includes an opportunity for attendees to ask questions of speakers.

RSVP here.