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6
Laws
This chapter contains brief reviews of the statutes that may assist those
seeking guidance for the legal limitations on Internet intelligence and
investigations. For the most part, federal and state laws contain no restric-
tions on the use of the Internet to collect information—especially public
or published information—for use by investigators. The summaries and
views expressed here do not constitute legal opinions or advice, but are
conveyed as commonsense interpretations of the meaning of current laws
and indications of the intent of Congress and the judiciary, even if the laws
themselves do not address Internet investigations directly. Because people
have differing views and strong opinions about their privacy rights,