An interesting question along these lines arose recently in relation to an Australian password disclosure law that related to accessing “computers,” which was used to compel disclosure of a smartphone passcode. To HN readers and the digital forensics people who pull data off smartphones, they’re obviously computers. But the judge was not convinced that a law written to allow access to “computers” in the early 2000s was intended to allow access to smartphones today, which contain far more personal information than the typical personal computer of 20 years ago. After all, if you asked someone “do you have a computer?” they would be unlikely to say yes based on their possession of a smartphone. And if you ask someone who streamed a YouTube video whether they “downloaded” it, I think in most cases the answer would be no. That’s why the tool is called “youtube-dl,” even though it is now used for streaming as well.
