2017 Rhode Island General Laws
Title 11 - Criminal Offenses
Chapter 11-52.2 - Software Fraud
Section 11-52.2-3 - Unlawful control of a computer.

§ 11-52.2-3. Unlawful control of a computer.

It is unlawful for a person who is not an owner or operator to transmit computer software to the owner or operator's computer with actual knowledge or with conscious avoidance of actual knowledge and to use the software to do any of the following:

(1) Take control of the computer by:

(a) Accessing or using the modem or internet service for such computer to cause damage to the computer or cause an owner or operator to incur financial charges for a service that is not authorized by the owner or operator;

(b) Opening multiple, sequential, stand-alone advertisements in the owner or operator's internet browser without the authorization of an owner or operator and that a reasonable computer user cannot close without turning off the computer or closing the internet browser;

(2) Modify any of the following settings related to the computer's access to, or use of, the internet:

(a) Settings that protect information about the owner or operator in order to steal the owner or operator's personally identifiable information; and

(b) Security settings in order to cause damage to a computer; and

(3) Prevent an owner or operator's reasonable efforts to block the installation of, or to disable, computer software by doing any of the following:

(a) Presenting the owner or operator with an option to decline installation of computer software with knowledge that, when the option is selected, the installation nevertheless proceeds; and

(b) Falsely representing that computer software has been disabled.

History of Section.
(P.L. 2006, ch. 583, § 1.)