This legislation has been helpful as a legal tool for prosecuting crimes involving some of the aforementioned intruders and violators of system security, but it also seems to have a loophole in certain cases. Unfortunately, this loophole may be large enough for a serious violator of the act to slip through and be prosecuted under a lesser penalty by virtue of having to prove intent. All states have closed a portion of that loophole through statutes prohibiting harassment or stalking, including "e-mail." This act has been amended several times since 1984 to keep it current.