computer crime

noun

1. unauthorized use of a computer for personal gain, as in the illegal transfer of funds or to alter the data or property of others.

Other Word Forms

• computer criminal noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of computer crime¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Computer crime experts have noted that the statute Bonta invoked primarily focused on hacking and illegal access to computer systems, not the type of behavior Teran was accused of.

From Los Angeles Times

The army filed a complaint against Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in central Thailand, under lese-majeste and computer crime laws, according to his legal representation.

From BBC

It is responsible for representing the United States in federal court in all criminal prosecutions, including public corruption, fraud, money laundering, narcotics, computer crime, and racketeering, as well as in extraordinarily complex matters, some criminal and some civil, involving consumer protection, immigration, national security, tax, environmental issues, civil rights, and antitrust policy.

From Slate

But the government should be honest about what it’s doing: charging a journalist for his newsgathering methods under notoriously overbroad computer crime laws, and seeking to take the additional, extreme step of prohibiting him from publishing news.

From Slate

She was also convicted under the Computer Crime Act, whose broad provisions covering online activities have been criticized as a threat to freedom of expression.

From Seattle Times