7-3-702. Prohibition against interception or disclosure of wire, oral or electronic communications; exceptions; penalties.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, no person shall intentionally:

(i) Intercept, attempt to intercept, or procure any other person to intercept or attempt to intercept any wire, oral or electronic communication;

(ii) Use, attempt to use, or procure any other person to use or attempt to use any electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept any oral communication when:

(A) Such device is affixed to, or otherwise transmits a signal through, a wire, cable or other like connection used in wire communication; or

(B) Such device transmits communications by radio or interferes with the transmission of such communication.

(iii) Disclose or attempt to disclose to another person the contents of any wire, oral or electronic communication, knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through the interception of a wire, oral or electronic communication in violation of this section;

(iv) Use or attempt to use the contents of any wire, oral or electronic communication knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through the interception of a wire, oral or electronic communication in violation of this section;

(v) Disclose, or attempt to disclose, to any other person the contents of any wire, oral or electronic communication, intercepted by means authorized by this act:

(A) Knowing or having reason to know that the information was obtained through the interception of such a communication in connection with a criminal investigation;

(B) Having obtained or received the information in connection with a criminal investigation; and

(C) With intent to improperly obstruct, impede or interfere with a duly authorized criminal investigation.

(b) Nothing in subsection (a) of this section prohibits:

(i) An operator of a switchboard, or an officer, employee or agent of a wire or electronic communication service whose facilities are used in the transmission of a wire communication from intercepting, disclosing or using a wire or electronic communication intercepted in the normal course of that person's employment while engaged in any activity which is a necessary incident to the rendition of his service or to the protection of the rights or property of the provider of that service, except that a provider of wire communication service to the public shall not utilize service observing or random monitoring except for mechanical or service quality control checks;

(ii) An officer, employee or agent of any provider of wire or electronic communications service, landlords, custodians or other persons from providing information, facilities or technical assistance to a peace officer who is authorized pursuant to this act to intercept a wire, oral or electronic communication if any such person has been provided with a court order directing such assistance. No provider of wire or electronic communication service, officer, employee or agent thereof, or landlord, custodian or other specified person shall disclose the existence of any interception or surveillance or the device used to accomplish the interception or surveillance with respect to which the person has been furnished a court order under this act, except as may otherwise be required by legal process and then only after prior notification to the attorney general. Any such disclosure, shall render such person liable for the civil damages provided for in W.S. 7-3-710. No criminal or civil cause of action shall lie in any court against any provider of wire or electronic communication service, its officers, employees or agents, landlord, custodian or other specified person for providing information, facilities or assistance in accordance with the terms of a court order under this act;

(iii) An officer, employee or agent of the federal communications commission, in the normal course of his employment and in discharge of the monitoring responsibilities exercised by the commission in the enforcement of 47 U.S.C. § 151 et seq., from intercepting a wire or electronic communication, or oral communication transmitted by radio, or disclosing or using the information thereby obtained;

(iv) Any person from intercepting an oral, wire or electronic communication where the person is a party to the communication or where one (1) of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to the interception unless the communication is intercepted for the purpose of committing any criminal or tortious act;

(v) A peace officer from intercepting, using or disclosing to another peace officer in the course of his official duties any wire, oral or electronic communication pursuant to an order permitting the interception under this act;

(vi) An employee of a telephone company from intercepting a wire communication for the sole purpose of tracing the origin of the communication upon request by the recipient of the communication who alleges that the communication is obscene, harassing or threatening in nature. The person conducting the interception shall notify local law enforcement authorities of the interception within forty-eight (48) hours;

(vii) A person from intercepting or accessing an electronic communication made through an electronic communication system that is configured so that the electronic communication is readily accessible to the general public;

(viii) A person from intercepting any radio communication which is transmitted:

(A) By any station for the use of the general public, or that relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles or persons in distress;

(B) By any governmental, law enforcement, civil defense, private land mobile or public safety communications system, including police and fire, readily accessible to the general public;

(C) By a station operating on an authorized frequency within the bands allocated to the amateur, citizens band or general mobile radio services; or

(D) By any marine or aeronautical communications system.

(ix) A person from intercepting any wire or electronic communication the transmission of which is causing harmful interference to any lawfully operating station or consumer electronic equipment, to the extent necessary to identify the source of such interference;

(x) Other users of the same frequency to intercept any radio communication made through a system that utilizes frequencies monitored by individuals engaged in the provision or the use of the system, if the communication is not scrambled or encrypted; or

(xi) Conduct described in this paragraph unless the conduct is for the purposes of direct or indirect commercial advantage or private financial gain. Conduct that consists of or relates to the interception of a satellite transmission that is not encrypted or scrambled and that is transmitted:

(A) To a broadcasting station for purposes of retransmission to the general public; or

(B) As an audio subcarrier intended for redistribution to facilities open to the public, but not including data transmissions or telephone calls.

(c) It shall not be unlawful under this act:

(i) To use a pen register or a trap and trace device authorized by article 8 of this chapter; or

(ii) For a provider of electronic communication service to record the fact that a wire or electronic communication was initiated or completed in order to protect such provider, another provider furnishing service toward the completion of the wire or electronic communication, or a user of that service, from fraudulent, unlawful or abusive use of such service.

(d) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, a person or entity providing an electronic communication service to the public shall not intentionally divulge the contents of any communication (other than one to such person or entity, or an agent thereof) while in transmission on that service to any person or entity other than an addressee or intended recipient of such communication or an agent of such addressee or intended recipient.

(e) A person or entity providing electronic communication service to the public may divulge the contents of any such communication:

(i) As otherwise authorized in W.S. 7-3-702(b)(i), (ii) or 7-3-706;

(ii) With the lawful consent of the originator or any addressee or intended recipient of such communication;

(iii) To a person employed or authorized, or whose facilities are used, to forward such communication to its destination; or

(iv) Which were inadvertently obtained by the service provider and which appear to pertain to the commission of a crime, if such divulgence is made to a law enforcement agency.

(f) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, any person who violates this section is guilty of a felony punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or both. If the intercepted communication is the radio portion of a cellular telephone communication, a cordless telephone communication that is transmitted between the cordless handset and the base unit, a public land mobile radio service communication or a paging service communication, a violation of this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or both.