Supreme Court Narrows Scope of U.S. Computer-Hacking Law
- Barrett says Trump approach would have ‘breathtaking’ reach
- Trump appointees join liberals in majority in Georgia case
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The U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the reach of a federal computer-hacking law, overturning the conviction of a Georgia police sergeant who sold information from a confidential law-enforcement database to an FBI informant.
The justices, voting 6-3, said the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act doesn’t apply when an authorized user of a database uses the information for an unauthorized purpose. The ruling is a victory for Nathan Van Buren, a former police sergeant in Cumming, Georgia, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison.