Does it sound that unbelievable for the 2010s? There was quite a discrepancy between how the internet/computers were generally being used and the legality.
Like https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/07/ever-use-someone-elses...
> Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a case called United States v. Nosal, held 2-1 that using someone else’s password, even with their knowledge and permission, is a federal criminal offense.