Guest view: Hunter Biden’s laptop and data: A legal and data privacy analysis
David Hecht - Founder Hecht Partners llp
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) was enacted in 1986 and prohibits accessing a computer without authorization, or in excess of authorization. If the Mac Shop or a third party accessed Biden’s files beyond the requisite access needed to recover data, i.e. without authorization or in excess of the original authorization, they may have broken the law.
October 22, 2020 - A newly released document suggests that on April 12, 2019 Hunter Biden signed an $85 services “quote” from the Mac Shop in Wilmington covering labor for “Hardware Level 1” data recovery. The document appears to be a contract whereby Biden may have agreed to terms including that “Equipment left with the Mac Shop after 90 days of notification of completed service will be treated as abandoned and you agree to hold the Mac Shop harmless for any damage or loss of property.” Legal questions remain as to what Biden might have actually abandoned and whether the shop owner, and others, violated any laws. read the full story