Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

President Donald Trump signed a national security memorandum enabling private sector companies to assist law enforcement in offensive hacking operations against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The memo mandates the creation of a federal coordination center that will authorize participating companies to conduct Cyber Surveillance and Cyber Effects Operations under government control. Participating companies must sign contracts with agencies like the Justice Department or Department of Homeland Security after undergoing rigorous vetting.

The article discusses the federal government's failure to address cyber policy gaps, particularly the lack of legislation allowing victims to interrupt ongoing cyberattacks. It highlights a testimony suggesting ransomware operators be designated as terrorists and the reliance on post-harm measures like sanctions and indictments, which have not effectively deterred attacks.

Perplexity AI is appealing a preliminary injunction that blocks its AI-powered shopping tool, Comet, from accessing Amazon user accounts. Amazon argues Comet violates federal and state computer fraud laws by collecting private account data without Amazon's authorization, while Perplexity claims it uses a browser to access Amazon with user permission, similar to traditional browsers.