[holmb]

It can never be illegal to use any tool. It is the intent and action carried out with the tool that decides whether it is illegal.

Consider the difference carrying a knife, being a hunter, and carrying a knife being a bankrobber and going into a bank to use it.

[masswerk]

Compare Linux Reviews, "Solaris-user arrested by British Police for using Lynx" -- http://linuxreviews.org/news/2005/01/28_0001/28_0001.html.en

[holmb]

That is scary indeed. Was he convicted? Police do make mistakes and one can only hope that they are corrected.

[masswerk]

I faintly recall reading (to my utter astonishment) that he was at least not freed from the accusation as you would have expected. I tried a search for any follow-ups, but to no avail. Maybe due to the "right to forget." (Information conveyed without warranty, liability or claim of correctness. It has been 12 years since, I may be in error.)

[gsnedders]

He might have never been charged, and being released without charge is rarely reported.

[JadeNB]

> It can never be illegal to use any tool. It is the intent and action carried out with the tool that decides whether it is illegal.

Since illegality is, literally, whatever is contrary to the law, anything at all can be illegal. We can hope that crazy things won't be illegal, and decry their illegality—but, since it's convenient for a government to impose sufficiently many laws that anyone can have some infraction pinned on him or her (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwsLAqjqnxo), to say that any particular thing can't be illegal is probably wishful thinking.

[brockers]

Oh it most certainly can... it SHOULDN'T but it absolutely can.

[holmb]

Perhaps the knife was a bit exagerated. It will be considered a weapon in many jurisdictions. Lynx however will/should hardly be considered a hacking tool. curl has been in deep waters many times, equally perplexing as the lynx scenario. https://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2016/01/19/subject-urgent-warnin...