Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Van Buren v. United States that Section (a)(2) of the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), which bars an individual from “exceed[ing] authorized access” to information on a computer network, does not apply to cases where an individual is generally authorized to access the information, but does so for an unauthorized or improper purpose. Instead, the Court interpreted Section (a)(2) to apply only to cases where an individual accesses information that the individual has no authority to access for any purpose. In so holding, the Court resolved a split between various federal Courts of Appeals on this issue. The decision has significant implications for law enforcement and the private sector, and particularly for employers in situations where employees access confidential or proprietary information for an unauthorized or improper purpose.