Appeals Court Agrees with EFF that Building a Web Browser Doesn't Violate the CFAA

The court held that the Assistant “is a tool, not a person for statutory purposes.”

Amazon wanted the Ninth Circuit to rule that shipping a browser which visits amazon.com is unauthorized access under a federal anti-hacking law. The court noted that theory would also make Amazon’s own customers criminals. The CFAA keeps getting aimed at competitors and researchers because the statute is vague enough to try. This is the second circuit in a decade to push it back where it belongs.