This Can't be true can it ? -The state of Texas now requires every new computer rep..

12 Ridiculous Government Regulations That Are Almost Too Bizarre To Believe

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#1 Private Investigator's License

Image: By swanksalot on flickr

The state of Texas now requires every new computer repair technician to obtain a private investigator’s license. In order to receive a private investigator’s license, an individual must either have a degree in criminal justice or must complete a three year apprenticeship with a licensed private investigator. If you are a computer repair technician that violates this law, or if you are a regular citizen that has a computer repaired by someone not in compliance with the law, you can be fined up to $4,000 and you can be put in jail for a year.

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Comments

Bl8ckr0uter

It is stupid but it makes sense. Lord knows I saw some crazy stuff when I worked on peoples machines.

demonfurbie

I think I'm all set, I work for the court system already ... now to move to texas

tpatt100

This lawsuit is a few years old now and its the wording of the law that has people upset but not the actual intent of the law

Should the Geek Squad need private-investigator licenses? - Jul. 18, 2008

While the law, which went into effect last fall, has not yet been enforced against any computer-repair companies, the Private Security Board has issued warnings to technicians including a Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500) Geek Squad service in Houston.
That warning stemmed from a customer complaint alleging that a Geek Squad employee told a customer that he could help "investigate computer crime."
The warning, sent Oct. 17, states: "The review of computer data for the purpose of investigating potential criminal or civil matters is a regulated activity."

Basically if you want an investigation done, computer techs are not qualified to conduct "investigations" of any matter because they lack the training required and are not certified in any way. Texas wants to separate computer forensic investigators into the specialized field it is and not just allow any computer technician to offer their services as maybe a forensic investigator like in the CNN article if a dad wants to find out what their kid is doing on their computer.

I think its more looking at now and the future where any person wanting to claim they can do forensic work

Texas law regulates private investigators, a group overseen by the Private Security Board. A bill sponsored by Rep. Joe Driver (R-Garland) in the Texas legislature last year and passed into law expanded that definition to include companies that sleuth around in computer data.
Driver says he sponsored the legislation, which was part of a large omnibus bill, because the private security industry "needed cleaning up." The change wasn't meant to put computer-repair technicians out of business, he says.
"If you're investigating or analyzing data, then you should need a little more credentials than someone who just repairs computers," he said.
Now, the law reads that any company that engages in the business of obtaining "information through the review and analysis of, and the investigation into the content of, computer-based data" needs a private investigator's license. Driver describes the distinction between computer repair and computer investigation in this way: If a client asks a technician to retrieve a specific file from the computer, that's fine. If a client asks the technician to dig around in search of criminal activity or to track the behavior of employees, that would constitute an investigation.

Bokeh

Back in the 90's, Tx was all upset with MS over the term "engineer." There were laws being floated that the person had to have a 4 yr degree and do an apprenticeship prior be called a MCSE.

So this new proposed law doesnt surprise me at all.