(a) No person shall knowingly use or operate the property of another without the consent of the owner or person authorized to give consent.
(b) No person, in any manner and by any means, including, but not limited to, computer hacking, shall knowingly gain access to, attempt to gain access to, or cause access to be gained to any computer, computer system, computer network, cable service, cable system, telecommunications device, telecommunications service or information service without the consent of, or beyond the scope of the express or implied consent of, the owner of the computer, computer system, computer network, cable service, cable system, telecommunications device, telecommunications service or information service or other person authorized to give consent.
(c) Except as permitted under R.C. § 5503.101, no person shall knowingly gain access to, attempt to gain access to, cause access to be granted to, or disseminate information gained from access to the law enforcement automated database system created pursuant to R.C. § 5503.10 without the consent of, or beyond the scope of the express or implied consent of, the chair of the Law Enforcement Automated Data System Steering Committee.
(d) No person shall knowingly gain access to, attempt to gain access to, cause access to be granted to, or disseminate information gained from access to the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway established and operated pursuant to R.C. § 109.57(C)(1) without the consent of, or beyond the scope of the express or implied consent of, the Superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
(e) The affirmative defenses contained in R.C. § 2913.03(C) are affirmative defenses to a charge under this section.
(f) Whoever violates division (a) of this section is guilty of unauthorized use of property. Except as otherwise provided in this division (f), unauthorized use of property is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(1) If unauthorized use of property is committed for the purpose of devising or executing a scheme to defraud or to obtain property or services, unauthorized use of property is whichever of the following is applicable:
A. Except as otherwise provided below, unauthorized use of property is a misdemeanor of the first degree; or
B. If the value of the property or services or the loss to the victim is $1,000 or more, it is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(2) If the victim of the offense is an elderly person or disabled adult, unauthorized use of property is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(g) Whoever violates division (b) of this section is guilty of unauthorized use of computer, cable or telecommunication property, a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(h) Whoever violates division (c) of this section is guilty of unauthorized use of the law enforcement automated database system, a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(i) Whoever violates division (d) of this section is guilty of unauthorized use of the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway, a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate state law.
(j) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
(1) CABLE OPERATOR. Any person or group of persons that does either of the following:
A. Provides cable service over a cable system and directly through one or more affiliates owns a significant interest in that cable system; or
B. Otherwise controls or is responsible for, through any arrangement, the management and operation of a cable system.
(2) CABLE SERVICE. Any of the following:
A. The one-way transmission to subscribers of video programming or of information that a cable operator makes available to all subscribers generally;
B. Subscriber interaction, if any, that is required for the selection or use of video programming or of information that a cable operator makes available to all subscribers generally, both as described in division (j)(2)A. above; and
C. Any cable television service.
(3) CABLE SYSTEM. Any facility, consisting of a set of closed transmission paths and associated signal generation, reception and control equipment that is designed to provide cable service that includes video programming and that is provided to multiple subscribers within a community. CABLE SYSTEM does not include any of the following:
A. Any facility that serves only to retransmit the television signals of one or more television broadcast stations;
B. Any facility that serves subscribers without using any public right-of-way;
C. Any facility of a common carrier that, under 47 U.S.C. § 522(7)(c), is excluded from the term
CABLE SYSTEM as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 522(7);
D. Any open video system that complies with 47 U.S.C. § 573; or
E. Any facility of any electric utility used solely for operating its electric utility system.
(R.C. § 2913.04)
Statutory reference:
Telecommunications: fraud and unlawful use of a device, felony offenses, see R.C. §§ 2913.05 and 2913.06