Let's put it this way: before there were even laws against hacking, if you had a key you shouldn't have and you used to get into a building and steal some IP, i

Let's put it this way: before there were even laws against hacking, if you had a key you shouldn't have and you used to get into a building and steal some IP, if you were charged, it would be with trespass or breaking & entering, not hacking. The term is appropriate, but it tends to evoke ideas of serious crimes, when hacking can be much more innocuous acts that often don't see much in the way of prosecution.