Computer Crimes (H 5570, S 0550)

The General Assembly again weighed, but took no action on, Attorney General legislation drastically overhauling Rhode Island’s computer crimes laws, altering the definitions of old laws and creating a wide array of new offenses.  In March, the ACLU of RI testified before the House and Senate Judiciary committees that the legislation’s overly broad language had the effect of criminalizing actions clearly protected by the First Amendment, such as commenting online on controversial topics or running a satirical website.