Law / United States / Arkansas
Unlawful interference with access to computers; unlawful use or access of computers
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 knowingly and without authorization interfere with, deny, or cause the denial of access to a computer, system, or network to a person who has the duty and right to use it.
- Do not knowingly and without authorization use, access, attempt to access, or cause access to be gained to a computer, system, network, telecommunications device, telecommunications service, or information service.
- Either offense becomes a Class C felony where it is committed to devise or execute a scheme to defraud or illegally obtain property.
- A reasonable, good-faith belief that you were authorized, or that the person able to consent would have authorized you, is an affirmative defense, but it must be noticed to the prosecuting attorney at least fourteen calendar days before trial or hearing.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Criminal exposure note
Unlawful interference with access to computers and unlawful use or access to computers are each a Class A misdemeanor, rising to a Class C felony where the violation was committed to devise or execute a scheme to defraud or illegally obtain property.
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
Arkansas prosecuting attorneys, through ordinary criminal prosecution
What it reaches
Obligation class
Access restriction
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
A person commits unlawful interference with access to computers by knowingly and without authorization interfering with, denying, or causing the denial of access to or use of a computer, system, or network to a person who has the duty and right to use it, a Class A misdemeanor.
Separately, a person commits unlawful use or access to computers by knowingly and without authorization using, accessing, attempting to access, or causing access to be gained to a computer, system, network, telecommunications device, telecommunications service, or information service, also a Class A misdemeanor, rising to a Class C felony where either violation is committed to devise or execute a scheme to defraud or illegally obtain property.
It is an affirmative defense that the person reasonably believed they were authorized and acting within the scope of that authorization, or that the person able to consent would have authorized the access; a defendant who intends to raise this defense must give the prosecuting attorney written notice at least fourteen calendar days before trial or hearing.
This section is sometimes cited under the caption "unlawful computerized communications," which is instead the name of a different, unrelated section, Ark. Code Ann. § 5-41-108, a harassment statute covering threatening or obscene electronic messages and having no bearing on unauthorized computer access.
When LexLint raises it
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Read the law
Arkansas Code, as published by FindLaw
no free official full-text edition of the consolidated Arkansas Code was located