> For example, what if I tell you I’m going to club you over the head and get access to the computer you’re on. [...] There is no material deception. Then ther

> For example, what if I tell you I’m going to club you over the head and get access to the computer you’re on. [...] There is no material deception. Then there’s no hacking and you should be charged with assault or whatever else is appropriate. > Another example is what if I just walk around the counter while you’re not there. Then it doesn’t matter if there was an unlocked computer or an unlocked cabinet behind that counter. There doesn’t need to be, for every illegal act X, an extra special law or punishment for “X but a computer was involved”. People want a criminal penalty for hacking and maybe they’re right, but you shouldn’t try to cover every undesirable act that involves a computer with a single law any more than every undesirable act that involves a piece of paper is covered with one. You also shouldn’t claim that breaking down a door is the same as walking through an open one, even when both constitute (among other things) trespassing.