Wyden, Lofgren, Paul Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Aaron's Law to Reform Abused Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Press Release
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced bipartisan legislation today to better target serious criminals and curb overzealous prosecutions for non-malicious computer and Internet offenses.
The legislation, inspired by the late Internet innovator and activist Aaron Swartz, who faced up to 35 years in prison for an act of civil disobedience, would reform the quarter-century old Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to better reflect computer and Internet activities in the digital age. Numerous and recent instances of heavy-handed prosecutions for non-malicious computer crimes have raised serious questions as to how the law treats violations of terms of service, employer agreement or website notices.
Cosponsors of the legislation also include U.S. Representatives Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.).
"Violating a smartphone app's terms of service or sharing academic articles should not be punished more harshly than a government agency hacking into Senate files," Wyden said. "The CFAA is so inconsistently and capriciously applied it results in misguided, heavy-handed prosecution. Aaron's Law would curb this abuse while still preserving the tools needed to prosecute malicious attacks."
"The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is long overdue for reform," said Lofgren. "At its very core, CFAA is an anti-hacking law. Unfortunately, over time we have seen prosecutors broadening the intent of the act, handing out inordinately severe criminal penalties for less-than-serious violations. It's time we reformed this law to better focus on truly malicious hackers and bad actors, and away from common computer and Internet activities."
"I am proud to join Sen. Wyden and Rep. Lofgren today in offering this bipartisan and bicameral legislation which will amend the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Aaron's Law will reduce overbroad prosecutions and adjust unfair sentencing practices," Paul said.
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