To repair PC's in the state of Texas, you now have to have a private investigator license, which requires either a criminal justice degree, or a three-year apprenticeship.
Those shops that refuse to participate will be forced to shut down. Violators of the new law can be hit with a $4,000 dollar fine and up to a year in jail, penalties that apply to customers who seek out their services.
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I think the biggest issue here, is that police and other criminology people are concerned that if a computer tech stumbles across illegal information on a computer, that since they are not a licensed private investigator, the evidence cannot in any way be used. Even if say, it's for a child-ρσяиσפядρђψ case. "Your evidence was siezed improperly, sorry, but it's excluded, next time do things the right way!"
I'm having trouble seeing how a law mandating that all computers in need of repair be searched by law enforcement personnel could fail to be an illegal search. Surely that's the epitome of 'fishing expedition'. I mean apart from the Bush administration's illegal telephone data-mining operation, the other epitome of 'fishing expedition'.
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I'm with s1m0n on this. Is there no mechanism where a member of the public can contact the law if they stumble across questionable information in the normal course of their activities?
I think the biggest issue here, is that police and other criminology people are concerned that if a computer tech stumbles across illegal information on a computer, that since they are not a licensed private investigator, the evidence cannot in any way be used. Even if say, it's for a child-ρσяиσפядρђψ case. "Your evidence was siezed improperly, sorry, but it's excluded, next time do things the right way!"
From the slashdot comments.
Surely the right fix is to change this bit of the law, not make computer techs require a PI license?
How is Best Buy going to find qualified employees for their Geek Squad if they've been desperate enough in the past for repair technicians that they resorted to hiring people who never even bothered to finish high school?
Oh qeeze! I just now actually read that site.
Was Geek Squad the start of it all?
Today Texas. Tomorrow the world!
Last edited by hyldemoer on Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
good luck with that!
I was always a bit worried about what they wanted me for...