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Law / United States / Maine

Aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy

17-A M.R.S. § 433

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 intentionally make an unauthorized copy of a computer program, software, or information from a Maine-connected computer resource, knowing you are not authorized to do so; this reaches unauthorized bulk copying even without any resulting damage.
  • Do not intentionally or knowingly damage a computer resource, or introduce or allow the introduction of a computer virus into one, without a reasonable ground to believe you have the right to do so.
  • A violation is a Class C crime, carrying up to 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $5,000.

If you get it wrong

Criminal exposureYes

Criminal exposure note

Aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy under 17-A M.R.S. § 433 is a Class C crime, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years (17-A M.R.S. § 1604(1)(C)) and a fine of up to $5,000 (17-A M.R.S. § 1704(3)).

Penalty structure

Maximum fine for a Class C crime under 17-A M.R.S. § 1704(3); the statute also authorizes imprisonment of up to 5 years under § 1604(1)(C), tracked in criminal_exposure_note rather than as a monetary figure.

Rule
Fixed only
As of
6 September 2026
Currency
USD
Fixed cap
5,000

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 aggravated criminal invasion of computer privacy, a Class C crime, by intentionally making an unauthorized copy of a computer program, software, or information, knowing the person is not authorized to do so; by intentionally or knowingly damaging a computer resource with no reasonable ground to believe the person has the right to do so; or by intentionally or knowingly introducing or allowing the introduction of a computer virus into a computer resource.

Unauthorized copying under the first branch does not require proof of resulting damage, so it reaches bulk automated copying of data from a computer resource without authorization, not only intrusions that damage or infect a system.

When LexLint raises it

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Read the law

official text, Maine Revised Statutes (legislature.maine.gov)

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