Karistusseadustik (Penal Code) Sections 206 and 207, Interference with Computer Data and Hindering of Functioning of Computer Systems
Karistusseadustik, RT I, 12.07.2014, 1, Sections 206 and 207
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 2015.
A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not alter, delete, damage or block data in a computer system, and do not interfere with or hinder the functioning of a computer system, including by an automated crawler's request volume or behavior.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Criminal exposure note
Up to three years' imprisonment or a pecuniary punishment for the base offense under either section; up to five years' imprisonment or a pecuniary punishment where committed against numerous computer systems using a device or program described in Section 216-1, committed by a group, committed against or interfering with a vital-sector system or public-service provision, or causing significant damage.
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 206 punishes illegal alteration, deletion, damaging or blocking of data in a computer system with a pecuniary punishment or up to three years' imprisonment, rising to five years where the act is committed against numerous systems, by a group, against a vital-sector system, or causes significant damage.
Section 207 punishes illegal interference with or hindering of the functioning of a computer system by uploading, transmitting, deleting, damaging, altering or blocking data on the same three-year and five-year tiers. Unlike Section 217, neither offense is limited to access obtained by circumventing a protective measure, so a scraper that overloads, disrupts or corrupts a target system can fall within these sections even against a page with no access controls.
When LexLint raises it
crawls_web
Read the law
Riigi Teataja, official English translation of the consolidated Karistusseadustik (Penal Code)