Advocates want to hear from AG nominee on Aaron Swartz

Civil liberty and public interest groups want President Barack Obama’s Attorney General nominee to answer questions about a cybersecurity law used to charge Internet activist Aaron Swartz, who subsequently killed himself.

The groups are pressing Sen Al Franken (D-MN) to ask nominee Loretta Lynch how the Justice Department, under her leadership, would interpret the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a 1986 law that prohibits a number of abuses, such as trespassing on computer systems. “Her confirmation hearing offers a unique opportunity to jumpstart that debate and to push for meaningful CFAA reform,” the groups wrote in a letter to Sen Franken. “Given your admirable record on these issues, we ask you to take the lead once again by pressing these important issues at this critical moment.” Critics say the law is overly broad, which could allow authorities to prosecute innocuous cases like violating a website’s terms of service agreement. They also criticize the “draconian sentencing regime” within the law.