What is considered illegal internet content in the United States?

Answer 1

An attempt to find what is considered to be illegal internet content can be partly described by the Computer Crime wiki page.

I would summarize illegal content to be any content, images, code, or software that executes or promotes:

• Malware and malicious code
• Denial-of-service attacks
• Computing viruses
• Cyber stalking
• Fraud and identity theft
• Phishing scams
• Information warfare
• Harassment
  
• Spam, or the unsolicited sending of bulk email for commercial purposes
• Unauthorized access of licensed or protected software, or other intellectual property.
  
• Drug trafficking
• Terrorism
• Child pornography, child grooming, and some content inappropriate for minors.
  

Although any user can access, change, or delete any his or her own content it becomes illegal if the content the user is accessing does not belong to him or her:

• altering another user's computer input in an unauthorized way
• altering, destroying, suppressing, or stealing another user's output, usually to conceal unauthorized transactions
• altering or deleting stored data which does not belong to you;
  
• altering or misusing existing system tools or software packages, or altering or writing code for fraudulent purposes

Whether on the internet or not, private user data must be secured against intentional or unintentional loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) states that "unauthorized acquisition of computerized data that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personal information."

• Social security number
• Trade secrets or intellectual property such as research activities
• Birth date
• Home phone number
• Home address
• Health information
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Credit card numbers
• Bank account numbers
• PIN numbers
• Driver's license numbers
  
• Location of assets
• Parking leases
• Anonymous donors
• Citizenship
• Citizen visa code
• Employment details
• Health care information including test results, diagnoses, medical history etc.
• Mental health conditions
  
• Substance abuse
• Any information that endangers an individual's rights or welfare
  
• Veteran and disability status
• Linking a person with the subject about which the library user has requested information or materials
• Non-directory Student Information may not be released except under certain prescribed conditions. Non-releasable information includes:
• • Student Grades
  • Courses taken
  • Schedule
  • Test scores
  • Advising records
  • Educational services received
  • Disciplinary actions
  • Student ID

The wiki page says: "Many jurisdictions place limits on certain speech and ban racist, blasphemous, politically subversive, libelous or slanderous, seditious, or inflammatory material that tends to incite hate crimes. "


Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_crime