criminal-law internet
Is bypassing a website&#39;s &quot;rules&quot; via proxies, VPNs, etc. illegal?
<p>Say a site only allows users to post every 20 minutes. If I use a proxy I can post as much as the speed of the proxy/connection/"fooling" allowed to make the site think I am coming from different IPs, computers, etc. Given that I am one person hypothetically using this to my advantage while breaking the "system" of the site and its rule, impositions, and structural design, am I breaking the law just by doing so? If not, am I just being a bit unethical in my approach? Note that I am not talking about DDos or denial of service or anything like that, but merely "bypassing" rules by conducting myself via endless trickery to get past rules imposed/designed to limit certain actions on my part as a single individual, like multiple registering, postings, and other functions the site normally provides in quota/limits but I "break" due to the use of proxies, VPNs and etc. for my convenience.</p>

<p>Website terms of service agreements are legally binding contracts; you agreed when you clicked the "I agree" button, or if the TOS says you agreed by merely using the site, you have agreed to the contract. See <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/13549/are-terms-of-service-legal-contracts/13571">Are terms of service legal contracts?</a> </p>

<p>The website TOS should outline their recourse against violators like you, which most of the time is a civil (not criminal) matter and amounts to closing your account or banning you.</p>

<p>They <em>could</em> take you to civil court for damages, depending local and state laws, if they claimed you damaged the service they provide to others, cost them money in hosting or bandwidth, etc.</p>

<p>Breaking a TOS is not generally a crime, but a civil matter. See <a href="https://litigation.findlaw.com/filing-a-lawsuit/civil-cases-vs-criminal-cases-key-differences.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Civil Cases vs. Criminal Cases: Key Differences - FindLaw</a>.</p>

<p>You could also be breaking the TOS of the VPN by using them to in turn violate the TOS of the destination site; read the TOS of the VPN.</p>

<p>Extra reading: <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/search?q=TOS">https://law.stackexchange.com/search?q=TOS</a></p>

<p>This would depend strongly on the laws where you reside and where the service is hosted. In many nations this would be a violation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terms_of_service" rel="nofollow noreferrer">terms of service</a>, which could result in a civil suit against you, but the most probable result would just be that your account would be blocked. In practice this would depend on how much impact your actions had on the system.</p>

<p>In the US, if you continue to access the computer after your account is blocked this could be chargeable under the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Fraud_and_Abuse_Act" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Computer Fraud and Abuse Act</a>. See for example <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigslist_Inc._v._3Taps_Inc." rel="nofollow noreferrer">Craigslist Inc. v. 3Taps Inc.</a>. </p>
