‘Leave The Gate Up Or Leave It Down’: The Supreme Court’s Recent Decision Marks Changes In The Landscape Of Cybersecurity And Privacy In Corporate America – Technology

Antonio G Ginting


United States:

‘Leave The Gate Up Or Leave It Down’: The Supreme Court’s Recent Decision Marks Changes In The Landscape Of Cybersecurity And Privacy In Corporate America


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Enacted in 1986, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
(“CFAA”) was introduced to defeat hacking and to protect
consumers against computer fraud. At its core, the CFAA seeks to
prohibit access to data “without authorization.” Despite
this, the CFAA’s prohibition regarding authorization has been
far from clear and, instead of helping businesses protect
themselves from data and security breaches, has left them
exposed.

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Van Buren v.
United States
, 141 US 1648 (2021) puts an end to any potential
ambiguity regarding authorization and clearly defines the
parameters of authority outlined in the CFAA. In Van
Buren
, Georgia police Sergeant Van Buren used his patrol car
to access a law enforcement database to retrieve information about
a license plate number. An FBI investigation subsequently revealed
that Sergeant Van Buren used his valid credentials to perform the
search but used this information for non-law enforcement purposes.
As a result, he was charged under the CFAA and sentenced to 18
months in prison for “accessing a computer without
authorization or exceeding authorized access” 18 U.S.C. §
1030 (a)(2). In his appeal to the Eleventh Circuit, Seargant Van
Buren argued that the “exceed authorized access” clause
applied only to those who obtain information to which their
computer access does not extend, not to those who misuse the access
that they otherwise have.

The Supreme Court agreed with Van Buren that the CFAA does not
reach improper motives in obtaining information through otherwise
authorized channels, or the misuse of that information once
obtained. In the opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett maintained that
an “individual exceeds authorized access when he accesses a
computer with authorization but then obtains information located in
particular areas of the computer – such as files, folders or
databases – that are off limits to him.” Id.
The result of that conclusion is that Sergeant Van Buren’s
misuse of information that he obtained through a system that he had
authorized access to did not violate the CFFA. Accordingly, an
interplay exists between the “without authorization” and
“exceeds authorized access” clauses in that, first, an
individual violates the provision when he accesses a computer
without authorization and second, he exceeds authorized access by
accessing a computer with authorization and then obtaining
information he is not entitled to obtain. The Court referred to a
“gates up or down inquiry,” meaning the analysis turns
solely on whether or not the individual had authorized access to
the computer system and any files within that system, therefore
authorized access, effectively means access to all information
therein unless limitations on access are made clear.

The Court’s decision provides a clear answer to one
real-world question that arises when cyber threats of all kinds are
omnipresent. For our clients and businesses, it will be important
to establish well-defined limits of authorized and unauthorized
access to systems and information and ensure that privacy protocols
and compliance programs are in place to protect business interests
and personal data.

Originally published July 1, 2021

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.

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