>Think of walking into a restaurant and they have a sign that says "Employees Only Behind Counter". Even if there was no technical/physical control preventing you from going behind the counter (eg there was no locked door or anything like that), I think it would still be understood that you as a customer do not have "authorization" to go back there.

But if a customer was invited back there because they said they wanted to thank the chef? They're told not to touch anything, they touch something. Do we view that touching something as breaking the same rule as someone who just walks back there uninvited or is it another rule they are breaking?

I can definitely see arguments for both views. Especially compelling to me based on the analogy is once you've taken the first unauthorized by policy action no other actions other than leaving would be authorized though this interpretation would lead to its own absurdities.