Letter to Senate Leadership Seeking Support for Leahy Amendment to CFAA to Cybersecurity Act

The signers of this letter, drawn from academics and groups representing a diverse philosophical spectrum share a commitment to ensuring the nation’s cybersecurity in a manner consistent with the Bill of Rights and the rule of law.

The letter begins:  “We write today regarding the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the subject of an amendment Senator Leahy has offered to the Cybersecurity Act, S. 3414. The Leahy amendment (SA 2579) would, among other things, increase penalties for CFAA violations. It is based on the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act, a bill that the Senate Judiciary Committee marked up in September. We write to urge that should the Leahy CFAA amendment come to a vote, it include the Grassley/Franken/Lee amendment adopted last year to ensure that mere violation of website terms of service are not treated as a CFAA crime.”