> You don't need authorization to write a client to someone else's API, do you?
If the owner says "don't do that" and you do it anyway, even if there are no technical limitations, you are committing a crime in the eyes of federal law.
Even if they don't tell you no and you just start poking around and accessing random (or guessed) API fields, it's still a federal crime since you "circumvented" their exposed interface.
> It makes sense that you can control who accesses your computer system; controlling how they do it seems murkier to me.
"How" can be difficult in a web context (browser vs. crawler), but in other contexts such as a mobile-only app with a proprietary API, they can say you're "hacking" their system if you access their system without directly interacting with their app (again, even if there are no technical limitations). Basically, just do this: http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54db994569bedd6e65f...
If the owner says "don't do that" and you do it anyway, even if there are no technical limitations, you are committing a crime in the eyes of federal law.
Even if they don't tell you no and you just start poking around and accessing random (or guessed) API fields, it's still a federal crime since you "circumvented" their exposed interface.
> It makes sense that you can control who accesses your computer system; controlling how they do it seems murkier to me.
"How" can be difficult in a web context (browser vs. crawler), but in other contexts such as a mobile-only app with a proprietary API, they can say you're "hacking" their system if you access their system without directly interacting with their app (again, even if there are no technical limitations). Basically, just do this: http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/54db994569bedd6e65f...