Matot v. CH

975 F. Supp. 2d 1191, 2013 WL 5431586, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 138327
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedSeptember 26, 2013
DocketCiv. No. 6:13-cv-153-MC
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 975 F. Supp. 2d 1191 (Matot v. CH) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matot v. CH, 975 F. Supp. 2d 1191, 2013 WL 5431586, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 138327 (D. Or. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

McSHANE, Judge:

Plaintiff brings this action seeking damages and equitable relief for alleged violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), 18 U.S.C. § 1030, defamation, negligent supervision, and parental liability pursuant to Oregon Revised Statute § 30.765. Defendant, Gary Hill, filed this motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction (# 14). Defendant, S.A., filed this motion for entry of a limited [1192]*1192judgment and injunction (#25). Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin filed two Findings and Recommendations (F & R) in response to defendants’ motions (# 14) and (# 25), and these matters are now before this court. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) (2012); Fed.R.Civ.P. 72(b).

Because no objections to either F & R were filed, this court reviews only the legal principles de novo. United States v. Reyna-Tapia, 328 F.3d 1114, 1121 (9th Cir.2003) (en banc); see also United States v. Bernhardt, 840 F.2d 1441, 1445 (9th Cir.1988). Upon review, this court finds find no error in F & R(# 27) or F & R(# 29) and ADOPTs both in full. Defendant Gary Hall’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction (# 14) is GRANTED and defendant S.A.’s motion for entry of a limited judgment and injunction (#25) is DENIED consistent with this opinion.

DISCUSSION

Plaintiffs CFAA claim rests on defendants’ alleged use “without authorization” of social media sendees (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) and defendants’ alleged use “exceeding] authorized access” of social media services, i.e., defendants’ violation of the terms of use of the particular social media service. As indicated by Judge Coffin in F & R(# 27), a mere violation of a use restriction, i.e., “exceeding] authorized access,” is not actionable under the CFAA in the Ninth Circuit. U.S. v. Nosal, 676 F.3d 854, 863 (9th Cir.2012) (“[W]e hold that the phrase ‘exceeds authorized access’ in the CFAA does not extend to violations of use restrictions.”). Thus, the crux of plaintiffs argument is that defendants accessed social media services “without authorization” under 18 U.S.C. § 1030.1

Plaintiffs “without authorization” argument focuses on defendants’ alleged use of plaintiffs name and image in creating “forged” social media accounts (e.g. Facebook and Twitter). Plaintiff attempts to cast defendants’ behavior as analogous to that of hacking2 proscribed by the CFAA. Plaintiffs argument is unpersuasive in light of (1) LVRC Holdings LLC v. Brekka, (2) United States v. Nosal, and (3) the rule of lenity.

I. LVRC Holdings LLC v. Brekka

In LVRC Holdings LLC v. Brekka,3 the Ninth Circuit held that “a person uses a computer “without authorization’ under [the CFAA] when the person has not received permission to use the computer for any purpose (such as when a hacker accesses someone’s computer without any permission), or when the employer has rescinded permission to access the computer and the defendant uses the computer anyway.” 581 F.3d at 1135 (emphasis added). The Court further provided that “a person who uses a computer ‘without authorization’ has no rights, limited or otherwise, to access the computer in question.” Brekka, 581 F.3d at 1133. Despite this relatively bright-line rule, this Court is reluctant to use it as an absolute bar to [1193]*1193plaintiff’s claim. To begin, unlike in Brekka, defendants are not employees of Twitter or Facebook who initially used the service for purposes of employment. Rather, as plaintiff alleges, defendants’ relationship with the social media websites was “forged ... from the ground up,” i.e., the defendants, as social media users, never were authorized because they breached the terms of use at the inception of the relationship. Likewise, this court doubts that even the Brekka Court would enforce its “without authorization” language to the extent implicated.4 For example, if a hacker5 targeted a United States governmental website for malicious purposes, such a hacker may be “authorized” to access the website under Brekka because many governmental websites are open to the public.6 In other words, if interpreted strictly, Brekka could preclude CFAA application of “without authorization” to hackers who breach governmental websites that are open to the public.7 For the same reason, strict adherence to Brekka’s bright-line rule outside of the employment context appears to be in conflict with the underlying legislative purpose.8

[1194]*1194 II. United States v. Nosal

In United States v. Nosal,9 the Court in dicta,10 found that “without authorization would apply to outside hackers (individuals who have no authorized access to the computer at all).” 676 F.3d at 858 (internal quotation marks omitted) (emphasis added). In contrast, the Court found that “exceeds authorized access would apply to inside hackers (individuals whose initial access to a computer is authorized but who access unauthorized information or files).” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). The Court further provided that “hacking” colloquially refers to “someone who’s authorized to access only certain data or files but accesses unauthorized data or files.” Id. at 856-57. Unfortunately, the Court’s colloquial definition provides little insight as to “outside hackers” because “hackers,” by definition, lack authorized access.11 How[1195]*1195ever, the Court, in affirming the district court’s dismissal of the claim, discussed numerous forms of relevant online conduct that it was unwilling to criminalize. Of these examples, many dealt with plaintiffs “trespass under false pretenses” scenario. The Court found that “lying on social media websites is common: People shave years off their age, add inches to their height and drop pounds from their weight.” 676 F.3d at 862. The Court referenced United States v. Drew, to combat the notion that the government could be trusted to not “prosecute minor violations.” Id. (citing 259 F.R.D. 449 (C.D.Cal.2009). In Drew, a mother posed as a 16-year old boy (“Josh Evans”) and cyber-bullied her daughter’s classmate who ultimately committed suicide). 259 F.R.D. at 452. Although Drew’s “Josh Evans” profile was fictitious, it did include “a photograph of a boy without that boy’s knowledge or consent.” Id. Nosal’s extensive discussion of “lying on social media websites” and its subsequent disapproval of prosecution under

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Bluebook (online)
975 F. Supp. 2d 1191, 2013 WL 5431586, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 138327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matot-v-ch-ord-2013.