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Submitted via IRC for fyngyrz
It's no secret that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is a mess. Originally written by a confused and panicked Congress in the wake of the 1980s movie War Games, it was supposed to be an "anti-hacking" law, but was written so broadly that it has been used over and over again against any sort of "things that happen on a computer." It has been (not so jokingly) referred to as "the law that sticks," because when someone has done something "icky" using a computer, if no other law is found to be broken, someone can almost always find some weird way to interpret the CFAA to claim it's been violated. The two most problematic parts of the CFAA are the fact that it applies to "unauthorized access" or to "exceeding authorized access" on any "computer... which is used in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or communications." In 1986 that may have seemed limited. But, today, that means any computer on the internet. Which means basically any computer.
[...] There is a case happening now, brought by some researchers and journalists, trying to get the CFAA declared unconstitutional for making scraping of the open internet a crime. On Friday, in a little-noticed, but highly-entertaining ruling [pdf], the district court let the case proceed, but also made some important points about the CFAA, making it clear that the law should be narrowly applied (which actually harms the "is this unconstitutional" question, since the more limited the law is, the less likely it's unconstitutional).
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday April 05 2018, @04:39PM (2 children)
No, as in it's not the same axe his great-grandfather used. Since, both pieces of the axe have been replaced at some point in time. Presumably by someone other than the great-grandfather.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday April 05 2018, @04:44PM (1 child)
"Presumably" is what I was highlighting.
You're assuming, when maybe canopic's family has been carefully using the axe within tolerances, in a way the ancestor didn't.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday April 05 2018, @06:03PM
Possibly, but the likelihood is that both heads and multiple handles weren't replaced by the one user. Though, perhaps it's a relic and no-one, but the great-grandfather actually made much use of it.
Then again, you could be an AI that trolls the internet for all I know. Likelihood, you're not.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"