Every new connection creates new responsibilities.

The US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) of 1986: enacted in 1984 with Pub. L. 98-473 and named the CFAA in 1986 by Pub. L. 99-474, now codified at 18 U.S.C. §1030 (current text: U.S. Code 2024 edition).

The US Wiretap Act (1968) set an early statutory limit on intercepting electronic communications; the CFAA followed in 1986. Source

1998-10-28: the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA, Public Law 105-304) was signed, establishing the “safe harbor” rule (17 U.S.C. §512), which later deeply shaped UGC platforms (public law original text).

The EU Data Protection Directive (1995) established common rules for personal-data processing across member states. Source

The US COPPA (1998) required verifiable parental consent before collecting data from children under 13. Source

The Budapest Convention (2001) harmonised cybercrime offences and cross-border evidence requests. Source

The ePrivacy Directive (2002) extended privacy rules to electronic communications, cookies, and location data. Source

The UN CRPD (2006) made accessibility a rights obligation, later reflected in web-accessibility rules. Source

The GDPR (2016) set a global benchmark for consent, data-subject rights, and cross-border transfers. Source

The US CLOUD Act (2018) addressed cross-border access to stored communications. Source

The Digital Services Act (2022) set platform duties for illegal content, transparency, and risk assessment. Source

The EU AI Act (2024) introduced risk-based obligations for AI systems, including general-purpose models. Source