ATLANTA (AP) — Checking sports scores on your work computer? Lying about your weight on online dating sites?
Civil liberty advocates say both acts could become illegal under a Georgia bill aimed at “online snooping.”
Republican Attorney General Chris Carr has backed a proposal that would ban “unauthorized computer access.” The measure has passed the Senate and awaits House input.
Carr says Georgia is one of only three states without a law against online snooping, in which a hacker neither disrupts nor steals data.
But opponents say the proposal’s language is vague and would criminalize acts that violate a website’s terms of service or an employer’s web usage guidelines, since neither act would be authorized.
Carr says prosecutors would only use the law to go after criminal hacking, not legitimate activity.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)