Computer Misuse Act, unauthorized access, interception and modification
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 6 July 2018.
A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 5 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not cause a computer system to perform a function to secure access to, or to intercept, a program, data, or computer service, without authority.
- Do not modify data held in a computer system without authorization, including to impair the system's operation or the reliability of the data it holds.
- Reading a public, unauthenticated page without defeating any access control or exceeding a granted authorization has not itself been held to violate these provisions.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Private right of actionNo
Criminal exposure note
Each offence carries, on summary conviction, a graduated fine and up to 18 months' imprisonment for a second or subsequent offence involving damage to the computer system or its data (ss. 5(2), 7(2), 8(2)).
Penalty structure
Sections 5, 7 and 8 each set a graduated fine, rising from $5,000-$10,000 (s. 5, first offence) or $10,000-$20,000 (ss. 7 and 8, first offence) to $20,000-$50,000 (all three sections, second or subsequent offence), with the higher figure in each band applying where the computer system was damaged, impaired, or its data suppressed or modified; $50,000 is the highest cap reached under any of the three sections, alongside up to 18 months' imprisonment.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- 5 September 2026
- Currency
- XCD
- Fixed cap
- 50,000
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 5 prohibits knowingly and without lawful authority causing a computer system to perform a function to secure access to a program or data. Section 7 prohibits, by any means and knowingly, securing access without authority to obtain a computer service, or intercepting without authority any function of or data within a computer system.
Section 8 prohibits knowingly causing an unauthorized modification of data held in a computer system, including to impair the system's operation, hinder access to a program or data, or impair the reliability of data.
Each offence carries a graduated fine, rising for a second or subsequent offence and rising further where the computer system was damaged, impaired, or its data suppressed or modified, up to $50,000 and 18 months' imprisonment; because the trigger for each offence is that the access, interception, or modification be unauthorized or without authority, a scraper reading a public, unauthenticated page without defeating any access control or exceeding a granted authorization falls outside a plain reading of these provisions.
When LexLint raises it
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Read the law
Official Act text, Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2023 Revised Edition), Attorney General's Chambers