America’s Response to Anonymous

This is important question should be answered before we determine how The American legal system put redlines for the Anonymous.

The answer for this question very simply, the anonymous using their computer to make an attempt to access another computer without permission or consent to cause harm or commit fraud, that mean “computer hacking”.

Which laws apply to computer crime?
America’s Response to Anonymous was before The Anonymous have appeared,

Since computer systems often hold a wide range of sensitive data, there are actually numerous computer hacking laws, in these following:

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) was enacted in 1986, as an amendment to the first federal computer fraud law, to address hacking. It was passed protect government and financial institutions from cybercrime and attacks. It protects federal computers, bank computers, and computers connected to the Internet including cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop PCs, and commercial servers.

In their present form of this act, the seven paragraphs of subsection 1030(a) outlaw

• computer trespassing (e.g., hacking) in a government computer, 18 U.S.C.

1030(a)(3);

• computer trespassing (e.g., hacking) resulting in exposure to certain

governmental, credit, financial, or computer-housed information, 18 U.S.C.

1030(a)(2);

• damaging a government computer, a bank computer, or a computer used in, or

affecting, interstate or foreign commerce (e.g., a worm, computer virus, Trojan

horse, time bomb, a denial of service attack, and other forms of cyber attack,

cyber crime, or cyber terrorism), 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(5);

• committing fraud an integral part of which involves unauthorized access to a

government computer, a bank computer, or a computer used in, or affecting,

interstate or foreign commerce, 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(4);

• threatening to damage a government computer, a bank computer, or a computer

used in, or affecting, interstate or foreign commerce, 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(7);

• trafficking in passwords for a government computer, or when the trafficking

affects interstate or foreign commerce, 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(6); and

• accessing a computer to commit espionage, 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(1).

The Stored Communications Act (SCA)

In 1986, Congress enacted the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) to protects against the unlawful interceptions of any wire communications, whether it's telephone or cell phone conversations, voicemail, email, and other data sent over the wire. Although passed at the infancy of the Internet, the Stored Communications Act (SCA), enacted in 1986, which is part of ECPA, has been interpreted over the years to cover the content of emails, private Facebook messages, YouTube videos, and so-called metadata, or non-content information, connected to our Internet transactions (e.g., websites visited, to/from and time/date stamps on emails).

According to 18 U.S.C. § 2701(a).,the SCA establishes a criminal offense for whoever “intentionally accesses without authorization a facility through which an electronic communication service is provided” or “intentionally exceeds an authorization to access that facility,” and by doing so “obtains, alters, or prevents authorized access to a wire or electronic communication while it is in electronic storage in such system.” The SCA also creates a civil cause of action, in which the plaintiff may obtain damages plus reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs. 18 U.S.C. § 2707(b).

The Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA)

The Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) was enacted in 2016, which provides a federal, private, civil cause of action for victims of trade secret espionage or theft when their trade secrets have been misappropriated by hackers and greedy employees. After this act, plaintiffs have a right to file their claim under this law in federal court.