U.S. Supreme Court Weighs Proper Access Under Anti-Hacking Law

The U.S. Supreme Court Monday probed whether the conviction of a police officer for accessing a database could lead to the criminalization of a range of similar actions.

The case, Van Buren v. United States, involves whether an officer who misused his authorized access to a database should be held liable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The case could have implications for a wide range of computer use scenarios, from so-called helpful hackers to the alleged theft of company trade secrets. One question that came up during the argument was whether the anti-hacking law could apply to ...