K.S.A. § 21-5839 — KS Code / Chapter 21 / Article 58 / Section 21-5839
21-5839 - Unlawful acts concerning computers.
Status: in_force

21-5839. Unlawful acts concerning computers. (a) It is unlawful for any person to:

(1) Knowingly and without authorization access and damage, modify, alter, destroy, copy, disclose or take possession of a computer, computer system, computer network or any other property;

(2) use a computer, computer system, computer network or any other property for the purpose of devising or executing a scheme or artifice with the intent to defraud or to obtain money, property, services or any other thing of value by means of false or fraudulent pretense or representation;

(3) knowingly exceed the limits of authorization and damage, modify, alter, destroy, copy, disclose or take possession of a computer, computer system, computer network or any other property;

(4) knowingly and without authorization, disclose a number, code, password or other means of access to a computer, computer network, social networking website or personal electronic content; or

(5) knowingly and without authorization, access or attempt to access any computer, computer system, social networking website, computer network or computer software, program, documentation, data or property contained in any computer, computer system or computer network.

(b) (1) Except as provided in (b)(2), violation of subsections (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) is a severity level 8, nonperson felony.

(2) Violation of subsections (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) is a severity level 5, nonperson felony if the monetary loss to the victim or victims is more than $100,000.

(3) Violation of subsections (a)(4) or (a)(5) is a class A nonperson misdemeanor.

(c) In any prosecution for a violation of subsections (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3), it shall be a defense that the property or services were appropriated openly and avowedly under a claim of title made in good faith.

(d) As used in this section:

(1) "Access" means to instruct, communicate with, store data in, retrieve data from or otherwise make use of any resources of a computer, computer system or computer network;

(2) "computer" means an electronic device which performs work using programmed instruction and which has one or more of the capabilities of storage, logic, arithmetic or communication and includes all input, output, processing, storage, software or communication facilities which are connected or related to such a device in a system or network;

(3) "computer network" means the interconnection of communication lines, including microwave or other means of electronic communication, with a computer through remote terminals, or a complex consisting of two or more interconnected computers;

(4) "computer program" means a series of instructions or statements in a form acceptable to a computer which permits the functioning of a computer system in a manner designed to provide appropriate products from such computer system;

(5) "computer software" means computer programs, procedures and associated documentation concerned with the operation of a computer system;

(6) "computer system" means a set of related computer equipment or devices and computer software which may be connected or unconnected;

(7) "financial instrument" means any check, draft, money order, certificate of deposit, letter of credit, bill of exchange, credit card, debit card or marketable security;

(8) "personal electronic content" means the electronically stored content of an individual including, but not limited to, pictures, videos, emails and other data files;

(9) "property" includes, but is not limited to, financial instruments, information, electronically produced or stored data, supporting documentation and computer software in either machine or human readable form;

(10) "services" includes, but is not limited to, computer time, data processing and storage functions and other uses of a computer, computer system or computer network to perform useful work;

(11) "social networking website" means a privacy-protected internet website which allows individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system created by the service, create a list of other users with whom the individual shares a connection within the system and view and navigate the list of users with whom the individual shares a connection and those lists of users made by others within the system; and

(12) "supporting documentation" includes, but is not limited to, all documentation used in the construction, classification, implementation, use or modification of computer software, computer programs or data.