"illegal" and "unlawful" mean the same thing : an act that is in violation of a statute. The statute that is violated can be either criminal or civil. It is a common misconception that 'illegal' only means a criminal violation. For example : - It is illegal to exceed the speed limit while driving. This is a civil violation. - It is illegal to operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. This is a criminal violation. You can s/illegal/unlawful/ in the previous two sentences and they mean exactly the same thing. On Wed, Sep 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM William Herrin via NANOG < nanog@lists.nanog.org> wrote:
On Wed, Sep 24, 2025 at 10:25 AM Jay Acuna via NANOG <nanog@lists.nanog.org> wrote:
Breaking Terms of Service you agreed to is Illegal. That is called a breach of contract, which is an illegal action or inaction.
Hi Jay,
I have to pick a nit here:
Illegal = something expressly forbidden by statute. Usually criminal. You could go to jail.
Unlawful = inconsistent with the law. You could be sued over it but unless it's also illegal there is no future where you go to jail as a result.
Breaching a contract may be unlawful but it is almost never illegal.
Regards, Bill Herrin
-- William Herrin bill@herrin.us https://bill.herrin.us/ _______________________________________________ NANOG mailing list
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