Violating website terms of service isn't a crime, federal judge rules
( March 27, 2020, 22:32 GMT | Official Statement) -- Mlex Summary: A federal judge handed a victory to two university researchers by ruling that violating a public website's terms of services doesn't amount to a criminal violation under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. "First, consumer websites' term of service do not provide adequate notice for purposes of criminal liability," wrote Judge John Bates. "Second, criminalizing violations of private websites' terms of service raises considerable nondelegation issues." Two professors of computer science from Northeastern University mounted this pre-enforcement challenge after deciding to research potential algorithmic bias in employment websites. Their research will involve creating fake profiles and job opportunities, acts that contravene the websites' prohibitions against providing false information.See attached document for the ruling....
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