Invasion of privacy: computer crimes.

Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to, by means of any machine, instrument, or contrivance, or in any other manner, intentionally tap, or make an unauthorized connection, whether physically, electrically, acoustically, inductively, or otherwise, with a telegraph or telephone wire, line, cable, or instrument, including the wire, line, cable, or instrument of an internal telephonic communication system, or to willfully and without the consent of all parties to the communication, or in any unauthorized manner, read or attempt to read, or to learn the contents or meaning of a message, report, or communication while the same is in transit or passing over a wire, line, or cable, or is being sent from, or received at any place within this state. Existing law also makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication, by means of any electronic amplifying or recording device, eavesdrop upon or record the confidential communication, whether the communication is carried on among the parties in the presence of one another or by means of a telegraph, telephone, or other device, except a radio. This bill would authorize a person to intercept the wire or electronic transmissions of a computer trespasser, as defined, transmitted to, through, or from the computer system if authorized by the owner of the computer system for the sole purpose of recovering the computer system. The bill would also authorize law enforcement officers to use information gathered from those transmissions for the sole purpose of recovering the computer system.