> Yes, it is obvious: the clerk is liable for giving you something they shouldn't have, and you are liable for fraudulently representing yourself as someone who

> Yes, it is obvious: the clerk is liable for giving you something they shouldn't have, and you are liable for fraudulently representing yourself as someone who should have access to those files. It's always okay to ask for things. There would be no way for society to adapt, progress, or change if people were limited to only asking for things that they knew in advance they were allowed to have. If it's legal for a telemarketer, pollster, reporter, cop, or recruiter to contact me and ask me questions then it's just as legal for me to contact and ask a web server a question. The correct response to unauthorized requests is a 4xx, not a lawsuit. More to the point, what makes it okay to ask a new web server for "/" without permission? Even if browse-through terms of service were legally enforceable they aren't known to the user or the browser before making the first connection and request. If a web server doesn't want to answer questions then don't connect it to the Internet.