U.S. Cybercrime Law: Defining Offenses

In recent years, a new term has arisen—cybercrime—which essentially denotes the use of computer technology to commit or to facilitate the commission of unlawful acts, or crimes. This article explains why we treat cybercrime as a special class of crime and why we need special statutes to define cybercrime offenses. It explains the relationship between state and federal law, notes the various types of cybercrimes and surveys the offenses that are created by state and federal law in the United States.