Rep. Chad Magendanz’s cybercrime bill signed into law
Rep. Chad Magendanz, R-Issaquah, sponsored The Washington Cybercrime Act signed into law today by Gov. Jay Inslee. The new law will give prosecutors the tools they need to punish cybercrime activity and help protect increasingly vulnerable digital communication systems from attack. These break-ins, data thefts, and disruptions to computer service or networks cost individuals and companies billions of dollars every year.
“I'm extremely glad to see this bill become law. The electronic frontier has changed many of the definitions of property trespass, theft, and fraud,” said Magendanz. “Our laws need to be updated so that computer related offenses can be successfully prosecuted.”
House Bill 2375 preserves existing laws for computer trespass and identify theft, while recognizing new categories of crime like tampering, spoofing, or 'denial of service' attacks – crimes that can make users temporarily or indefinitely unable to use their computer or networks. Further, individuals that copy or transmit data with the intent to commit a crime, while leaving the original in place or unaltered, can now be prosecuted for data property theft.
House Bill 2375 passed the House with a vote of 96-0 and the Senate, 46-1 before being signed into law by the governor. It will go into effect later this year.
