What question did this study set out to answer?

To systematically map state-level cybercrime statutory provisions across the United States and identify whether states cluster into distinct patterns of legal coverage.

July 25, 2026Journal of Economic CriminologyOpen Access

Mapping state cybercrime law: A typology of statutory coverage across the U.S.

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To systematically map state-level cybercrime statutory provisions across the United States and identify whether states cluster into distinct patterns of legal coverage.
Compiled a comprehensive statutory dataset of 808 cybercrime-related legal provisions spanning all 50 US states, coded as of January 2026.
Aggregated statute-level legal features into a state-by-feature matrix to represent variations across domains of cyber-enabled harm.
Applied unsupervised clustering techniques to classify states based on patterns of statutory expansion.
Found universal state statutory coverage for foundational offenses including hacking or unauthorized access, cyber fraud or financial crimes, and computer damage or tampering.
Observed widespread coverage for online child exploitation, cyberstalking or harassment, identity theft, and nonconsensual image sharing, whereas variation clustered around specialized offenses like malware, phishing, ransomware, and critical infrastructure attacks.
Identified a three-type statutory typology differentiated primarily by the degree to which states expand legal prohibitions beyond the universal foundational core.

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Implication

Statutory mapping analysis uncovers a three-tier typology of cybercrime coverage across 50 US states, indicating structured differences in how jurisdictions expand beyond foundational offenses.

Cite This Study

Matthew McGrath (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a74b7a5756843cacbb1cf19 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconc.2026.100240

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Implication

Statutory mapping analysis uncovers a three-tier typology of cybercrime coverage across 50 US states, indicating structured differences in how jurisdictions expand beyond foundational offenses.

Mapping state cybercrime law: A typology of statutory coverage across the U.S.

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Implication

Cite This Study

Mapping state cybercrime law: A typology of statutory coverage across the U.S.

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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