Attorney General Chris Carr made the following statement on legislation to crack down on unauthorized computer access. Senate Bill 315 was introduced by Senator Bruce Thompson on the first day of the 2018 Legislative Session and will strengthen Georgia’s ability to more effectively fight cybercrime.

“Senate Bill 315 is an important security measure that will further protect Georgians from cybercriminals,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “As it stands, we are one of only three states in the nation where it is not illegal to access a computer so long as nothing is disrupted or stolen. This doesn’t make any sense. Unlawfully accessing any computer in Georgia should be a crime, and we must fix this loophole. By adding greater protections and penalties against unauthorized computer access, we believe this bill will help us more effectively fight cybercrime in our state.”

Co-sponsors for Senate Bill 315 include Senator John Albers, Senator Bill Cowsert, Senator Butch Miller, Senator Renee Unterman and Senator Jeff Mullis.

Senate Bill 315 will take the following actions:

• Create the new crime of unauthorized computer access;

• Make this crime punishable by a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature;

• Subject materials that aid in the crime to forfeiture.