Computer Misuse Act 1990

The Computer Misuse Act 1990 (c. 18) is an act of the <a href="/facts/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom/7bFbPI9g">Parliament of the United Kingdom</a>, introduced partly in response to the decision in R v Gold & Schifreen (1988) 1 AC 1063. Critics of the bill[who?] complained that it was introduced hastily, was poorly thought out, and that <a href="/facts/Intention_(criminal_law)/ewGU7qMN">intention</a> was often difficult to prove, with the bill inadequately differentiating "joyriding" <a href="/facts/Hacker_(term)/bhg519lj">hackers</a> like <a href="/facts/Stephen_Gold/XM3tVCAj">Gold</a> and <a href="/facts/Robert_Schifreen/gu958S2w">Schifreen</a> from serious computer criminals. The Act has nonetheless become a model from which several other countries, including <a href="/facts/Canada/D5P9yqs6">Canada</a> and the <a href="/facts/Republic_of_Ireland/k8JzXVze">Republic of Ireland</a>, have drawn inspiration when subsequently drafting their own <a href="/facts/Information_security/horlrCln">information security</a> laws, as it is seen "as a robust and flexible piece of legislation in terms of dealing with cybercrime". Several amendments have been passed to keep the Act up to date.

Computer Misuse Act 1990 open-in-new

Computer Misuse Act 1990