Criminal Code, unauthorized use of a computer
R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46, s. 342.1
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
In force since 1 January 1985.
A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 2 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not obtain a computer service, or cause a function of a computer system to be intercepted, fraudulently and without colour of right.
- Do not use, possess, traffic in, or permit another person to have access to a computer password to commit either of the above.
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Makes it an indictable offence, punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment, to fraudulently and without colour of right obtain a computer service, intercept a function of a computer system, or use a computer system to commit those offences, or to traffic in a computer password enabling such access.
The offence turns on fraud and absence of authorization to use the service, not on the technique of access, so scraping a page a site has made publicly and unauthenticated is not, on its own, an unauthorized use; the analysis changes once a scraper circumvents an access control or continues after an unambiguous revocation of permission.
When LexLint raises it
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Read the law
official consolidated statute text, Department of Justice Canada Justice Laws Website