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Though laws vary from state to state, here is some insight on the possible consequences of wrongfully interfering with another's computer.

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New Jersey Internet Crime Defense Attorney

Computer crime, cyber crime, and hacking are serious offenses under New Jersey law, as are other computer crimes such as internet fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, internet pornography, and cyber stalking. If you've been charged with any of these offenses, whether arising from an isolated incident or from a long term fraudulent act, you need a New Jersey Internet Crime Attorney.

Charged with Computer Crime in New Jersey?

My name is Anthony N. Palumbo, and I am a former prosecutor, current criminal defense lawyer, and partner at The Law Offices of Anthony N. Palumbo. If you've been charged with a computer or internet crime in New Jersey, you need a skilled Computer Crime Lawyer on your side. Contact me for a free and confidential consultation through the email form on my website or at . With over 35 years of experience as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, I know which defenses will work for you, and I'm ready to aggressively defend your rights.

Computer criminal activity

The offense of computer criminal activity encompasses a broad range of activity, but generally occurs when a person, purposely and knowingly, and without authorization, accesses or interferes with data or computer systems. More specifically, section 2C:20-25 of the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice provides that:

it's a third degree crime for a person to access any data, computer storage medium, computer program or software, computer equipment, computer system, or computer network;

it's a second degree crime for a person to alter, damage, or destroy any data, computer storage medium, computer program or software, computer equipment, computer system, or computer network, or to deny, disrupt, or impair computer services, including access to any part of the internet, that are available to other users of the computer services;

it's a third degree crime for a person to access or attempt to access any data, computer storage medium, computer program or software, computer equipment, computer system, or computer network for the purpose of executing a scheme to defraud, or to obtain services, property, personal identifying information, or money, from the owner of a computer or any third party, but the offense is upgraded to a second degree crime if the value of the services, property, personal identifying information, or money obtained exceeds $5,000;

it's a third degree crime for a person to obtain, take, copy or use any data, computer program or software, personal identifying information, or other information stored in a computer, computer storage medium, or computer equipment, network or system, except that the offense is upgraded to a second degree crime if the data, computer program, software, or information:

contains personal identifying information, medical diagnoses, treatments or other medical information concerning an identifiable person; or

contains governmental records or other information that is protected from disclosure by law, court order or rule of court; or

has a value exceeding $ 5,000

However, it's an affirmative defense if the offender can prove by clear and convincing evidence that he obtained, copied, or accessed a computer program or software that had a retail value of less than $1,000 and didn't disseminate or disclose it to anyone else; and

it's a fourth degree crime for a person to access and recklessly alter, damage or destroy any data, computer storage medium, computer program or software, computer equipment, computer system, or computer network, except that it becomes a third degree offense if the vale of the damage exceeds $5,000.

A conviction for any of the above activities is upgraded to a first degree offense if it results in a substantial interruption or impairment of public communications, transportation, water supplies, gas or power, or any other public service. For an interruption to be substantial, it must affect 10 or more structures, last for at least two hours, create a risk of death or significant bodily injury, cause damages in excess of $250,000, or cause significant bodily injury to any individual.

Sentencing for computer criminal activity

Under New Jersey law, the sentences and fines for crimes are typically as follows:

Fourth degree crime - up to 18 months imprisonment and up to $10,000 in fines

Third degree crime - 3 to 5 years imprisonment and up to $15,000 in fines

Second degree crime - 5 to 10 years imprisonment and up to $150,000 in fines

First degree crime - 10 to 20 years imprisonment and up to $200,000 in fines

The computer criminal activity statute includes several specific sentencing provisions, however, requiring that:

every sentence of imprisonment for a first degree computer crime must include a minimum term of parole ineligibility for one third to one half of the full sentence;

if the victim is a government agency, then any conviction for computer criminal activity must include a period of imprisonment with a minimum term of parole ineligibility for one third to one half of the full sentence imposed, and it's not a defense that the offender didn't know or intend for the victim to be a government agency;

separate charges for computer criminal activity can't be merged with each other or with charges for wrongful access and disclosure (discussed below), which can result in much lengthier sentences; and

additionally, under N.J.S.A. § 2C:43-3.8, a person convicted for computer criminal activity must pay a special fine for each offense, ranging from $500 to $2,000 depending on the severity of the offense, with these fines going toward a Computer Crime Prevention Fund.

Wrongful access disclosure

In addition to the offense of computer criminal activity, section 2C:20-31 of the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice makes it illegal for a person, purposely and knowingly, and without authorization, to access any data, computer, computer storage medium, software, computer equipment, or computer system and to knowingly or recklessly disclose any of the data, software, or personal identifying information found therein. Wrongful access and disclosure is a third degree crime, but it can be upgraded to a second degree offense if the offender purposely or knowingly disclosed any data, software, or other information that was protected by law, court order, or rule of court.

Sentencing for wrongful disclosure

As with computer criminal activity, every sentence for wrongful disclosure must include a period of imprisonment with a minimum term of parole ineligibility for one third to one half of the full sentence.

Credit card fraud

Credit card fraud in New Jersey is an extensive area of the law that involves many different crimes, including:

making false statements to obtain a credit card;

credit card theft;

receiving a lost, mislaid, or mistakenly delivered credit card;

selling or buying a credit card from anyone other than issuer;

obtaining a credit card to secure a debt;

counterfeiting a credit card;

signing a credit card without authorization;

fraudulent use of a credit card;

using or accepting for payment a credit card knowing it was revoked, forged, or expired; and

receiving anything of value as result of credit card fraud.

Most credit card fraud offenses are either third or fourth degree crimes, carrying penalties ranging from 18 months to 5 years in prison.

Identity theft

A charge of identity theft can result from any number of actions, including serious offenses such as using a stranger's social security or credit card number, as well as more mundane offenses like using a friend's telephone calling card. The law provides that it's a disorderly persons offense to do any of the following:

impersonate someone else or assumes a false identity for the purpose of obtaining a benefit or to injure or defraud another;

pretend to be a representative of some person or organization for the purpose of obtaining a benefit or to injure or defraud another;

impersonate someone else, assume a false identity, or make a false or misleading statement regarding someone else's identity for the purpose of obtaining services;

obtain any personal identifying information pertaining to another person and use that information in order to assume his identity, with the purpose to fraudulently obtain a benefit, avoid the payment of a debt, or avoid prosecution for a crime; or

impersonate someone else or assume a false identity with the purpose of avoiding payment for prior services.

Although the default classification of identity theft is a disorderly persons offense, punishable by up to 6 months in jail as well as fines and restitution, an identity theft charge will be upgraded under a number of circumstances:

it becomes a fourth degree crime, punishable by up to 18 months in prison as well as fines and restitution, if the benefit/deprivation is less than $500 and the fraud is on one person, except that subsequent convictions will be third degree crimes;

it becomes a third degree crime, punishable by 3 to 5 years in prison as well as fines and restitution, if the benefit/deprivation is between $500 and $75,000 or the fraud is on 2 to 4 people; and

it becomes a second degree crime, punishable by 5 to 10 years in prison as well as fines and restitution, if the benefit/deprivation is more than $75,000 or the fraud is on 5 or more people.

Internet sex crimes

Downloading child pornography from a computer can get you into a lot of trouble, including jail time, fines, and registration as a sex offender. Even just looking at child pornography, without downloading it, is illegal in New Jersey. A conviction for possession of child pornography carries a penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Distributing child pornography also carries a 5 to 10 year prison sentence, with fines of up to $250,000 in addition. Also, charges for distribution are usually accompanied by charges for possession, which increases the penalties significantly.

Cyber stalking

In order to be convicted of stalking in New Jersey, a person must purposefully or knowingly engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear death or bodily injury to herself or a member of her immediate family. Under the statute, a "course of conduct" means that the stalker must either engage in visual or physical proximity to the victim on at least two separate occasions, or convey a threat by any means on at least two separate occasions. "Any means" includes electronic communications, as well as calling, writing, confronting the victim in person, or threatening her indirectly.

Stalking is a usually a fourth degree offense, punishable by up to 18 months in prison, but certain factors can enhance the charge to a third degree crime, such as stalking someone when there's already a court order in place prohibiting the stalking, stalking someone that the offender has already been convicted of stalking, or stalking someone while in jail or on parole. When stalking is a third degree offense, it carries a penalty of 3 to 5 years in prison as well as heavy fines. Additionally, stalking convictions are often accompanied by permanent restraining orders.

Getting the legal representation that you need

If you've been charged with an internet or computer crime, the best thing that you can do is to contact a New Jersey defense lawyer. As an experienced internet crime defense lawyer and a New Jersey computer crime attorney, I will give you an honest assessment of the charges that you face, your best available defenses, and the possible outcomes of your case. To learn what I can do to eliminate or reduce your computer crime charges, contact me for a free and confidential consultation through the email form on my website or at .

The Law Offices of Anthony N. Palumbo is a criminal defense law firm with offices in Cranford, Elizabeth and Newark. The Law Offices of Anthony N. Palumbo represents clients with other white collar criminal charges, and defends many other criminal charges as well throughout New Jersey, including Essex County, Hudson County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Ocean County and Union County.

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New Jersey Internet Crime Defense Attorney| New Jersey Computer Crime Lawyer | Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, Internet Crimes Attorney

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Computer crime, cyber crime, and hacking are serious offenses under New Jersey law, as are other computer crimes such as internet fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, internet pornography, and cyber stalking. If you've been charged with any of these offenses, whether arising from an isolated incident or from a long term fraudulent act, you need a New Jersey Internet Crime Attorney.

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Do not fret! Listed below are some resources that aid many people in complying with the Ten Commandments on Computer Ethics! You'll be able to walk through this process one step at a time!

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Do not fret! Listed below are some resources that aid many people in complying with the Ten Commandments on Computer Ethics! You'll be able to walk through this process one step at a time!

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"I know the rules, but I've developed habits that may be violating them. What can I do?"

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"I know the rules, but I've developed habits that may be violating them. What can I do?"

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Check out the text in the pink boxes above!⤴

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Click here to find out the different Internet privacy laws that relate to commandments 3-5.

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Cyber threats come from many sources, each looking to obtain personal information (PI) for benefit or exploitation. As intrusions become increasingly sophisticated, more regulatory and internal safeguards are needed in response.

Internet privacy is a subset of the larger world of data privacy that covers the collection, use, and secure storage of PI generally. Internet privacy is concerned primarily with how PI is exposed over the Web, through tracking, data collection, data sharing, and cybersecurity threats.

A Pew Research Institute study found that controlling PI on line is "very important" to 74% of Americans. According to another Pew study, 86% of Americans have taken action to maintain their privacy - deleting cookies, encrypting email, and protecting their IP address.

Digital footprints are everywhere. Every time you visit a website, enter your credit or debit card information, sign up for an account, give out your email, fill out online forms, post on social media, or store images or documents in cloud storage, you are releasing personal information into cyberspace. Just who, other than the intended recipient, will receive or have access to the information you provided? Will it be shared with other parties? Your PI may be shared in ways you don't expect or are unaware of. Your information may be at some risk because even the best information security programs are not 100% guaranteed.

Internet privacy laws

The potential for breaches of online privacy has grown significantly over the years. There is no single law regulating online privacy. Instead, a patchwork of federal and state laws apply. Some key federal laws affecting online privacy include:

The Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC)[1914]- regulates unfair or deceptive commercial practices. The FTC is the primary federal regulator in the privacy area and brings enforcement actions against companies. This includes failing to comply with posted privacy policies and failing to adequately protect personal information.

Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) [1986] - protects certain wire, oral, and electronic communications from unauthorized interception, access, use, and disclosure.

Computer Fraud & Abuse Act (CFAA) [1986] - makes unlawful certain computer-related activities involving the unauthorized access of a computer to obtain certain information, defraud or obtain anything of value, transmit harmful items, or traffic in computer passwords. The law has been in amended six times.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) [1998] - requires certain website and online service providers to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from minors under the age of 13. It also requires websites to post an online privacy policy, collect only the personal information necessary, and create and maintain reasonable security measures.

Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM Act) [2003] - governs sending unsolicited commercial email and prohibits misleading header information and deceptive subject lines. It also requires senders to disclose certain information, include a valid opt-out mechanism, and it creates civil and criminal penalties for violations.

Financial Services Modernization Act (GLBA) [1999] - regulates the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information collected or held by financial institutions and requires customer notices and a written information security program.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) [2003] - requires financial institutions and creditors to maintain written identity theft prevention programs.

Many states have also adopted laws affecting online privacy, for example, consumer protection statutes, laws that protect certain categories of PI, information security laws, and data breach notification laws.

In addition to complying with these laws and implementing robust information security programs, there are steps organizations can take to help mitigate cybersecurity threats.

How you are exposed and how to protect yourself online

Client, customer, and employee personal information in your possession can be subject to a data breach in a myriad of ways. E-mail addresses, banking, passwords, physical addresses, phone numbers and more can inadvertently find their ways to scammers, hackers, undesired marketers, and more. Most compliance and legal area employees have little idea how to go implement data protection from internet threats. What to do?

A threat playbook for your organization

One thing your organization can do is develop an Internet privacy quick reference playbook that is easily available to employees. It can provide threat and best practices to follow for your specific area:

Here are five of the most significant online threats to data privacy coming from the web and best practices to handle them:

Many users don't scrutinize sites on which they find information. There are often signs that sites you visit can be malicious and ask for your PI: free offers, shortened URLs, pages socially engineered to trick users to set up an account and download malware from them.
What you can do
Keep your anti-virus up to date up to date. Use the most secure Internet browser -- Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge are the two best choices. Scan files with your anti-virus software before downloading. Don't re-use passwords for multiple websites. Turn on your browser's pop up blocker.

Cookies are files downloaded to your browser by a website that contain unique identifier data about the site. However, they don't contain any personal information or software code. When a website "sees" the data it set in a cookie, it knows the browser is one that has contacted it before.

They can be useful for things like keeping your login information for a site so you don't have to enter it again. Cookies can also be used to track your activities and capture your purchasing habits and then be shared with unwanted third parties affiliated with the site.
What you can do
Set your browser to delete cookies every time you finish browsing or set "opt out" cookies on your browser to cookies aren't allowed at all in your browser.

The COPPA Act specifically states that IP addresses are personal information since they are information about an identifiable individual associated with them. An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label behind the familiar web addresses we see every day. It identifies a device over the internet. Hacker often come through IP addresses as their first point of attack.

Undesirable parties may trace your PI by looking up your website address if it is listed in WHOIS, the central database containing all web addresses on the internet. Ownership information is readily available here.
What you can do
If you set up a website, you can request a private WHOIS listing from the database manager, Network Solutions. Their name, address and other ownership information will appear instead of yours.

When working on your personal computer, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tool. A good one is IP Vanish. You log into the VPN as an intermediary. After that point, your IP address is encrypted and goes through the VPN provider to the internet.

Employees or clients at home have "leased" IP addresses with their cable modem and ISP accounts. Your IP won't change until you turn off your modem. Power it down as often as you feel the need.

Using HTTP Instead of HTTPS Encrypted Web Server Connections

Personal data flowing between a user's machine and a website using plain HTTP protocol can be monitored by other companies or potentially intercepted and stolen by malicious hackers (often called the "man-in-the-middle"). That's where Secure Sockets Layer(SSL) comes in.
What you can do
HTTPS or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encrypts information sent between a website and a user's machine. When purchasing or entering personal information on websites, always check for an "https://" or a padlock icon in your browser's URL bar to verify that a site is secure before entering any personal information. When you see HTTPS instead of HTTP in your browser's address bar, you'll know it is a secure site!

If you're hosting a website, consider implementing SSL on your web server to ensure data privacy between you and customers. It will also help mitigate direct hacking threats. You will need to find a digital certificate authority (CA) such as Verisign to help set it up.

Cloud computing is the latest and greatest technological wave that brings up new issues for data privacy. This is especially true when you give up administrative and technological controls to an outside party. That in of itself is a major threat.

A cloud provider may be deficient in backup processes, security practices, employee controls, application interfaces & APIs to name just a few. Plus, you never know who has the "keys of the kingdom" to view all your data in there. Scary.
What you can do
Both you and the cloud provider are in charge of security, not just the latter. If you are storing data in cloud storage or using a cloud platform to host a website, there are a few things you want to consider:

Find out from the provider who is in charge of each cloud security control.

Train someone in the use of provider-provided identity and access tools so you can control yourself who has access to data and applications.

Ensure the provider has all your data that is stored with them encrypted

Major cloud providers all offer logging tools. Use these to enable self-security logging and monitoring to monitor any unauthorized access attempts and other issues.

A combination of government regulations and responsible individual practices can only thwart potential cyber threats not eliminate them. Your compliance & legal area can do its part by implementing comprehensive threat analysis and response measures.

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Internet Privacy Laws Revealed - How Your Personal Information is Protected Online

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Cyber threats come from many sources, each looking to obtain personal information (PI) for benefit or exploitation. As intrusions become increasingly sophisticated, more regulatory and internal safeguards are needed in response. Internet privacy is a subset of the larger world of data privacy that covers the collection, use, and secure storage of PI generally.

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Click to know the risks of illegally downloading software!

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There are videos online that teach you how to utilize resources that prevent plagiarism (ex: turnitin.com).

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การคัดลอกผลงาน

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Step 1: Registration 1. To register and create a user profile, you must have been provided with a class ID and enrollment key by your instructor. 2. Go to turnitin.com 3. Click the Create Account link on the homepage, which will open the Create a User Profile page. 4.

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Q3. What do you think could be done to reduce or eliminate such unethical behavior? 

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Q3. What do you think could be done to reduce or eliminate such unethical behavior? 

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Though the internet is too big for the problem to be completely eradicated, several actions are already being taken to help reduce the amount of disrespectful content that spreads.

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My advice? Ask yourself these questions...

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My advice? Ask yourself these questions...

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1. Am I sharing information without citing my sources and doing informed research?
2. Would I refrain from saying these words to a  person face to face?
3. Am I too emotionally charged at the moment to be posting content?
4. Could this be retraced years from now with my name attached to it? Would I regret it?
If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", you're not considering the harm you may be inflicting onto your fellow humans (disobeying the 10th computer ethics commandment)!

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Q2. Why do you think these violations occur?

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Q2. Why do you think these violations occur?

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A: Computer users often feel a sense of anonymity when sharing and receiving information from others through the internet. Stating our viewpoints from behind a computer screen removes any inhibitions one would have in a face-to-face conversation. This allows many boundaries to be crossed, as people can use harmful language against others they have animosity toward (for various reasons). Misinformation can also be spread with the intent of trying to slander another's name or mischaracterize a group of people. One's physical appearance can also be attacked on social media. The majority of students nowadays are younger and heavily dependent on technology for exchanging information, so they are most likely to be victims and/or perpetuators of this disrespectful content (though it is an issue that is by no means exclusive to younger generations). People unfortunately use their freedom of speech for harm.

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Q1. Which of the Ten Ethical Computing Guidelines do you think students violate most often?

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Q1. Which of the Ten Ethical Computing Guidelines do you think students violate most often?

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A: I believe students violate commandment ten the most often:

Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans

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An article explaining how Instagram's IA can prevent harmful comments from being posted:

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Instagram is inviting users to think again before posting unkind comments with a new tool designed to curb bullying on the social media platform.

The company is rolling out a new feature that uses AI to identify negative comments before they are published and asks "are you sure you want to post this?" before it is shared on another person's post.

It does not stop people from making negative comments, but it gives them the opportunity to "undo" the message before it is posted.

The initiative comes after Instagram has come under fire for not doing enough to tackle online bullying.

According to research by Pew Research Center, 59% of American teenagers have been bullied or harassed online. In the UK, the anti-bullying charity Ditch The Label found that 42% of British 12- to 20-year-olds had been cyberbullied on Instagram in its 2017 bullying survey. Earlier this year, an Ofcom report also warned that online bullying is on the rise.

Announcing its launch on Monday, Instagram said it had already had success with the new feature - which they said during early tests they have found "it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect".

English-speaking Instagram users will have the new tool first, but the company plans to make it available to users globally in the future, reported the BBC.

Instagram also said it soon plans to start testing another anti-bullying feature called Restrict that will allow people to control the comments they see on their profile.

By "restricting" a person, users will be able to control who sees their comments without them knowing and they will not be able to see when they are active on Instagram or when they have read their direct messages.

The company said young people are often "reluctant to block, unfollow, or report" bullies for fear of escalating the incident.

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, admitted the company "can do more" to help stop bullying on the platform in a blogpost explaining the new features.

He wrote: "We know bullying is a challenge many face, particularly young people. We are committed to leading the industry in the fight against online bullying, and we are rethinking the whole experience of Instagram to meet that commitment.

"We can do more to prevent bullying from happening on Instagram, and we can do more to empower the targets of bullying to stand up for themselves. Today we're announcing one new feature in both areas. These tools are grounded in a deep understanding of how people bully each other and how they respond to bullying on Instagram, but they're only two steps on a longer path."
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Instagram's anti-bullying AI asks users: 'Are you sure you want to post this?'

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Instagram is inviting users to think again before posting unkind comments with a new tool designed to curb bullying on the social media platform. The company is rolling out a new feature that uses AI to identify negative comments before they are published and asks "are you sure you want to post this?"

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One can utilize fact-checking websites to ensure that misinformation does not spread.

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The proliferation of news sources and satire, as well as the ease and speed of social media - combined with readers' short attention spans and tendency to just read the headlines make it easy for readers to fall for fake news. Some websites have taken on the mission of fact-checking rumors, health claims, and political claims -- particularly those that show up often in social media.
Fact checking: Science and Medicine

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LibGuides: Fake News & Misinformation: How to Spot and Verify: Fact Checking Websites

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The proliferation of news sources and satire, as well as the ease and speed of social media - combined with readers' short attention spans and tendency to just read the headlines make it easy for readers to fall for fake news.