Straffeloven Section 263, Unauthorized Access to a Data System
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.
A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not obtain access to a data system, or to data intended for use in one, without the right to do so, including by defeating an access control while scraping.
- Expect the maximum penalty to rise to imprisonment of up to 6 years where the access is made to learn a business's trade secrets or is part of a systematic or organized operation.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Criminal exposure note
Section 263(1): a fine or imprisonment of up to 1 year and 6 months for unauthorized access to a data system or to data intended for use in one. Section 263(3): the maximum rises to imprisonment of up to 6 years where the access is made with intent to learn a business's trade secrets, under other especially aggravating circumstances, or as part of a systematic or organized operation.
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Section 263, subsection 1, punishes with a fine or imprisonment of up to 1 year and 6 months whoever unlawfully obtains access to another's data system or to data intended for use in a data system. The provision does not state that the access must defeat a security measure, so its text does not on its face exclude reading a public, unauthenticated page.
Subsection 3 raises the maximum to imprisonment of up to 6 years where the access is made with intent to learn a business's trade secrets or under other especially aggravating circumstances, including systematic or organized offending. A related section, 263a, separately punishes commercial trafficking in access credentials to a data system.
When LexLint raises it
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Read the law
Straffeloven, official consolidated text, Retsinformation.dk