It's not hard for anyone who lived through the 90's/early naughts to imagine the US or other legal systems completely diverging from proportional action on comp

It's not hard for anyone who lived through the 90's/early naughts to imagine the US or other legal systems completely diverging from proportional action on computer 'crime', especially when large corporate interests are involved. The archives of Off the Hook are full of such examples https://2600.com/offthehook/ https://2600.com/offthehook/