Relates to computer-related crimes; creates the crimes unlawful disruption of computer services in the first and second degree, unlawful computer access assistance in the first and second degree, unauthorized use of internet domain name or profile, and unlawful introduction of a computer contaminant; allows for a civil action for compensatory damages for victims of such crimes.
S03693 expands New York’s computer-crimes article in the Penal Law and makes a related change to the Education Law. It updates and broadens key definitions such as computer, computer system, computer network, access, and computer service, and adds new terms covering government computer systems, public safety infrastructure computer systems, supporting documentation, internet domain names, profiles, and computer contaminants. The bill also revises the offense of unlawful duplication of computer-related material and expands computer tampering to cover additional conduct, including tampering with data or software affecting public safety infrastructure systems and tampering with COVID-19 vaccination records.
The bill creates several new offenses: unlawful disruption of computer services in the second and first degrees, unlawful computer access assistance in the second and first degrees, unauthorized use of an internet domain name or profile, and unlawful introduction of a computer contaminant. It also authorizes civil actions by owners or lessees of affected systems or data for compensatory damages, injunctive relief, attorney’s fees, and related verification costs, and it provides for forfeiture of computers, systems, software, or data used in the commission of covered offenses. Finally, it amends the Education Law to require college disciplinary rules to specifically include computer-related crimes and associated sanctions.
The bill’s impact would be to significantly broaden the scope of New York’s cybercrime laws, giving prosecutors additional tools to address service disruptions, credential or access assistance, malware introduction, and misuse of online identities or domain names. It would also extend protections to government systems and critical infrastructure, including water, wastewater, hospitals, emergency services, telecommunications, and utilities, while creating a parallel civil remedy for victims and adding campus discipline requirements for higher education institutions.
The available voting history suggests the bill has generally received strong support, passing the Senate Codes Committee and the Senate floor by large margins in both 2025 and 2026. That pattern indicates broad agreement with the bill’s goal of strengthening cybercrime enforcement and victim remedies. The repeated committee and floor approvals also suggest the measure has been viewed as a priority or at least a durable policy proposal across sessions.
The main points of contention appear to be limited but likely center on the breadth of the new offenses and definitions, especially the expansion of liability to disruption of services, assistance in access, and use of internet domain names or profiles. The inclusion of public safety infrastructure systems, civil damages, forfeiture, and college disciplinary consequences may also raise concerns about overbreadth, enforcement discretion, and potential impacts on legitimate conduct. The 11-2 committee votes and 59-2 and 56-1 floor votes show that any opposition has been relatively small compared with the overall support.
The bill would amend the Penal Law’s computer-crime article to expand definitions and create new offenses related to disruption of computer services, assistance in unauthorized access, misuse of internet domain names or profiles, and introduction of computer contaminants. It would also broaden existing computer tampering and unlawful duplication provisions, add civil remedies and forfeiture authority, and require college disciplinary rules to specifically address computer-related crimes. The measure would affect prosecutors, victims, owners and lessees of computer systems and data, critical infrastructure operators, and colleges and universities.
The bill appears to have been received positively overall, with strong bipartisan or near-bipartisan support reflected in the committee and floor votes. The vote margins suggest lawmakers broadly agree with the need to update cybercrime laws and strengthen protections for government and public safety systems. No committee transcript was provided, so the available record shows support more clearly than detailed debate.
Likely areas of disagreement are the bill’s broadening of criminal liability and the reach of some new offenses, especially those involving disruption of services, access assistance, and unauthorized use of internet identities. Critics could be concerned about whether the definitions are too expansive or could capture conduct beyond clear hacking or malware activity, while supporters likely view the changes as necessary to address modern cyber threats and critical infrastructure risks. The inclusion of campus discipline requirements and civil forfeiture remedies may also be points of concern for institutions and civil liberties advocates.