Law note · Montana
Montana Unlawful Use of a Computer, without consent of the owner
What it asks of an app
- Do not obtain use or access of a Montana-connected computer system without the owner's consent; this statute is graded by dollar value of property affected, so its penalty structure is built around measurable loss rather than mere unwanted access.
When LexLint raises it
crawls_web
What we found
Under Title 45 (Crimes), Chapter 6 (Offenses Against Property), Part 3 (Theft and Related Offenses), a person commits the offense of unlawful use of a computer when, knowingly or purposely and without authorization, they obtain the use or access of any computer, computer system, or computer network without consent of the owner, among other prohibited acts such as destroying or rendering data inoperable, introducing a computer contaminant, or misusing another person's credentials to track their movements or monitor communications without consent.
The offense is framed and graded as a property crime, with penalties tied to the dollar value of property affected, so a scraper causing no measurable loss sits awkwardly within the statute's own penalty structure even where the access element is otherwise met. No reported Montana case applies this section to scraping or public-page access.