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Employee confession opens up suit against GeekSquad

tgdaily.com — As a high-profile lawsuit against Best Buy's Geek Squad technical support service gets ready for court, a new employee confession has come through detailing one of the company's more questionable policies.

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  • Coven, on 05/05/2008, -43/+9pics or it didn't happen!
    • ninjasaurus, on 05/05/2008, -8/+23░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
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    • Coven, on 05/05/2008, -6/+3wow...didn't see that coming.
  • RazDakarn, on 05/05/2008, -7/+66In the letter, the employee wrote, "If you have any interesting pictures of yourself or others on your computer, then they -- will -- be -- found."

    This is not admissable in court, and it's obviously not policy.

    This is pot-stirring.
    • gonats, on 05/05/2008, -1/+6um, yes it is

      FRE 803 (D)(2)(d)
      • Murphys, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4Did you know that for a fact, or just heard about it :)
    • LongLive35mm, on 05/05/2008, -1/+5Also, from the article, there was a named employee that came forward and confessed.
  • TRScheel, on 05/05/2008, -4/+59How is this not surprising? You get High School - College age males in that situation and their priorities are a little skewed to this behavior. You're only bound to get it
    • doctechnical, on 05/05/2008, -3/+12How old does someone have to be before they're expected to understand the concept of "keep your nose out of other people's stuff"? I figured most grade-schoolers had that figured out. Let's not lower the bar on morality any more than it is.
      • RealmDown, on 05/05/2008, -5/+12Older, I guess, than the people who make person income and religious affiliations the backbones of political elections.
        • tony23, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3I don't know about religion, but if someone claims to be "for the poor", I'd really like for them to actually know what it's like to be poor.
      • HonoredMule, on 05/05/2008, -0/+9Nice sentiment, but unrealistic, unfortunately. Consider how many 40-yr-old males would fit the same profile...heck, consider how many grandparent-age busybodies you know personally.

        Such behaviour will only /ever/ be curbed by stringent auditing and supervision. No one outside kindergarten thinks it's morally ok...but everyone knows it's a practically consequence-free "safe crime" when no one is policing the access of private data.
      • Speed, on 05/05/2008, -0/+22If you send a computer in for repairs, aren't you implying consent to search around the computer? I mean a virus can theoretically be in any file on the hard disk.
        Maybe I'm completely wrong (I don't know how US privacy laws work), but wouldn't send a computer if for repair be waiving your reasonable expectations for privacy?
        • MellerTime, on 05/05/2008, -0/+9I'm sure that's also in the papers you blindly sign when you drop the machine off. This is just another publicity suit that will be settled for several million dollars and in the end not actually accomplish anything but to make one more idiot rich.
        • mman426, on 05/05/2008, -2/+0yeah i don't know about the legal implementations, but i personally would not leave any files like that on my computer if i was giving to someone to fix it (if i did i would make it invisible to the majority of people by way of embedding .rars in pictures and then burying the pictures). Also, When I was in high school i worked with the technology so when some teachers would bring in their personal computers i would always search their computers for anything i could find, so i can't blame these guys.
          • Verdanic, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1People that use Geek Squad aren't exactly tech savvy, I think it's fair to say. They probably would not realize that's possible, might not have alternate storage for their private things, or the computer might be unable to boot or copy files in the first place, hence the visit.
        • darkamster07, on 05/05/2008, -0/+5you are right, in this case (for once) best buy is innocent. Privacy is very important, but I just think that people don't understand that when you send in your computer, or really whenever you allow access to your computer by anyone other than yourself, you had better have any embarassing/incriminating stuff hidden away/removed; it's just common sense. although i do think they should do more to discourage this behavior and punish those resposible. honestly, in an age where every kind of porn is freely available to anyone with internet access, do you need to be stealing/peeking at other people's stashes?
          • doctechnical, on 05/05/2008, -1/+2This is ***** - people DO have a reason to respect some degree of privacy. When I hire a plumber to fix my toilet I don't expect him to rummage through my medicine cabinet and help himself to anything he finds interesting.
            This is why people came up with "bonding". Maybe it's time we held the computer tech profession to some *professional* standards.
      • InThePants, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7I worked at a computer shop about 4 years ago or so briefly, it wasn't a big shop, just a local one..anyway people would bring in their computers all the time just loaded to the ***** with viruses and spyware because their kids would download so much crap that the only option left was to back up the valuable stuff, format the drive, and give them a fresh install of windows.

        We wouldn't snoop for stuff, but when your daughter has naked pictures of herself in the "My Pictures" folder and we're told to back up the pictures, it's hard not to find that stuff. Anyway we'd look at it, show the other guys, and move on... We wouldn't keep copies cause that's just creepy.
        • HangerBaby, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2Good god, I would laugh so ridiculously hard if I found some woman's daughter's nudie pictures in the ONE folder that is the wallpaper default folder on most Windows installations..

          "Hmm, I don't like the Windows XP background anymore.. time to change it!!"
          ..."WTF"...
      • CobaltBlue, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4Are you telling me that if you were working computer repair and Jessica Alba dropped off her computer, you wouldn't be tempted to look for pictures of her and CobaltBlue making that baby she's going to have?
        • RealmDown, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4Believe it or not, I would be *extra* careful not to do so. I am in the minority, I know, but it is my opinion that celebrities are people too.

          The few times I have seen them around, I have left them alone.
      • darkamster07, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2no one stays in thier own business, they are just regularly forced to by social/physical constraints, not that people crave the secrets of others, but if offered they won't refuse. this is human nature.
    • ifruit, on 05/05/2008, -2/+3The Question is... Does anybody know where we can get the pics talked about in the article?
      • TheKingInYellow, on 05/05/2008, -0/+6i'm just going out on a limb here but i'll go ahead and take a wild guess as to where you can obtain "lewd or other content". . . the internet.
    • GOVStooge, on 05/05/2008, -1/+4People who don't encrypt their userspace when their diagnostic and repair system consists of people that they do not know, are idiots.

      It takes all of 5 secs to execute a search for every image file on a computer.
      • MiDri, on 05/05/2008, -0/+6unless I rename all my jpg to .pron!
      • publiclurker, on 05/05/2008, -0/+45 seconds! You must not have many files.
        • roosterjm2k2, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3nah, he probably uses a mac or linux... indexed filesystems for the win!
        • unknownsoldierX, on 05/05/2008, -0/+5Or Vista. Or Google/Windows Desktop Search.
      • Terr01, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2What a coincidence! These are the same people who have the smarts to fix it themselves or know someone who can!
      • ventralnet, on 05/05/2008, -2/+3You are a ***** moron. Not everyone knows the ins and outs of computers... that is exactly why a service like geeksquad exist.

        Your snooty comment is ignorant
        • roosterjm2k2, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4They should, though...and that's the point.
          • ventralnet, on 05/05/2008, -2/+1No they shouldn't.
          • theaceoffire, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Everyone should learn how to protect themselves and their data on a computer.
          • Speed, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1ventralnet, yes they should, in order to prevent things like this. Willful ignorance is destroying this planet. "I'm not an ecologist, I don't need to know if leaving all the lights on in my house and not turning the TV off before I leave will harm the environment or not", "I'm not a political scientist, I don't need to know which candidate supports what".
        • darkamster07, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2then don't have pr0n on your computer if you are so shy about it (or if it's in a grey area of legality/social acceptability) or just lean 2 encrypt, anyone with basic skills can.
  • iDaF, on 05/05/2008, -10/+3is this already down?
  • thespudmall, on 05/05/2008, -30/+2iz dat soem cp?
    • wellyuk, on 05/05/2008, -1/+10Any reason you typed your comment like some kind of a retard?
      • Wintermute426, on 05/05/2008, -1/+8Because he's a /b/tard, of course.
  • surfernerd6987, on 05/05/2008, -5/+14Haha, more power to the small businesses that it tried to overcome. They deserve everything that it coming to them.
  • down4twenty, on 05/05/2008, -13/+4down at 40 diggs
    mirror???
  • 4pple5auce, on 05/05/2008, -17/+23NoobSquad gets pwnd
  • Ryan454, on 05/05/2008, -4/+38Does this really surprise anyone?
  • Zymophideth, on 05/05/2008, -17/+12Buried because the server is already dead
  • blacksteve0, on 05/05/2008, -16/+3Smells like bullsh*t
  • sexybobo, on 05/05/2008, -1/+91When you take your computer to them you authorizes access to your computer and all documents on it. What they are doing is not illegal but it is something you should be aware of if you are dumb enough to take your computer in to geek squad
    • NinjaBoy, on 05/05/2008, -0/+61Agreed. Its like taking your car into a mechanic. You might want to take the naughty photos of your wife out of the glove box first.
      • kingmanic, on 05/05/2008, -1/+30Or the dead bodies. /Different strokes.
        • revjustin2, on 05/05/2008, -0/+16I don't remember that episode. Must have happened near then end when they brought in that cheesy little white kid.
        • CobaltBlue, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4I thought that the mechanic on Different Strokes was the child molester.
        • je12u, on 05/06/2008, -0/+0The molester was the bike shop owner who tried to take pictures of Arnold and Dudley
    • Hubris, on 05/05/2008, -0/+11I believe you are authorizing them to view the contents....making copies and distributing them might be copyright infringement as they have not given you distribution rights. Certainly a much lighter civil matter than any accusation of theft.
      • Speed, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8I agree with that, but I'm under the impression that the lawsuit alleges privacy violations, not copyright infringement.
      • plamoni, on 05/05/2008, -0/+11I think Hubris is on the right track, though... I mean, thanks to the precedent set by our friends at the RIAA, there's a simple series of steps customers can go through in order to gain relief:

        1: Assume their rights have been violated
        2: Hack into the computer suspected of violating their rights (If you don't know the IP, just make up 4 numbers between 0 and 255 and have at it...)
        3: Find "evidence" of this violation
        4: File an ex parte John Doe suit against the person suspected of violating said rights (we don't want those pesky defense lawyers getting in the way of JUSTICE!)
        5: Send out a few letters to 12-year-olds and dead old people demanding payment for the violation.
        6: Collect thousands of dollars in settlements from the above people.

        In the end, you make out pretty well... It doesn't matter that you extorted money from innocent people, violated the very essence of our legal system, and in the end didn't do anything to prevent the problem from recurring.. You made money, and isn't that the point?!

        ... Isn't it?
  • vajra918, on 05/05/2008, -2/+19http://duggmirror.com/tech_news/Employee_confessio ...
  • SwornPacifist, on 05/05/2008, -3/+78Article from the dead website:
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Minneapolis (MN) - As a high-profile lawsuit against Best Buy's Geek Squad technical support service gets ready for court, a new employee confession has come through detailing one of the company's more questionable policies.

    The lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County, Minnesota, claims that when a computer comes into a Geek Squad center, the employees comb through personal files and sometimes copy lewd or other content over to their own personal flash drive.

    According to Minneapolis newspaper The Star Tribune, the lawsuit was filed quickly after an anonymous employee sent a letter to online consumer advocate site The Consumerist. In the letter, the employee wrote, "If you have any interesting pictures of yourself or others on your computer, then they -- will -- be -- found."

    Geek Squad says it takes "reasonable precautions to protect against the loss, misuse and unauthorized access of your personal information."

    Geek Squad, which is the self-claimed largest computer support company in the country, downplayed the event by saying it was an isolated incident. However, a new employee has come forward confessing a similar action.

    William Giffels came forward and said he sought out revealing pictures of a customer who brought in a computer for repairs. He copied the pictures to his flash drive, and then were copied to multiple CDs used in the Geek Squad department of the store.

    "It was dumb, and I regret that lapse in judgment. I have placed Best Buy in a precarious position, both legally and 'reputationally,'" said Giffels. Several other people claiming to be Geek Squad employees have quietly admitted to doing the same kind of thing.

    Best Buy says it has increased the number of audits it conducts at its Geek Squad locations, but advocates suggest the store needs to completely overhaul its operation. "No matter what investigative protocol Best Buy uses, someone is going to find a way around it," said Consumerist editor Ben Popken to the Star Tribune.

    With regard to controversy, though, Best Buy remains defensive. "Our agents only see the data they need to," said Best Buy spokesperson Paula Baldwin.
  • Harabeck, on 05/05/2008, -0/+38And this is surprising? Guys who get bored and around a lot of other people's computers will look through them. This is a warning to all users of computer repair places: remove sensitive data if you can from the computer, it is very possible the techs will dig through your files.
    • lar3ry, on 05/05/2008, -2/+9People bring dead computers in all the time.

      Most of them don't have the foresight to realize that the computer is going to conk out tomorrow, so they should remove the sensitive stuff (not just porn, but web history and cache with personal information, etc.) the day before.

      Face it, most people don't even realize that some of this is happening behind the scenes.

      These are the people that are going to be bringing their computers and laptops to places like Geek Squad. There is an implicit trust in the relationship, just as if you leave your car in a car park, you don't expect the valets to which you handed the keys to be driving all over Chicago at 95 MPH in it while you are gone. Even Bueller gets it wrong.

      Even if this is not Best Buy policy, if it can be proved that any person with any responsibility knew about this, or allowed this with a nod and a wink, or even just simply allowed an employee to touch a computer with a flash drive in his or her pocket (you mean, there's no policy about THAT???), then the employee(s), manager, district manager, or even the company can and should be found liable. To what extent should be left to a judge and/or jury.

      I remember seeing an article where a person posted a VIDEO of a display logger that was running on their own system while being serviced by Best Buy. The video clearly shows the employee was snooping around and snarfing image files that looked "interesting." That one incident should have caused Best Buy to ban those flash drives from employees during work hours, just like security conscious companies ban the use of cell phone cameras or other similar things at the work place. Sure, you can carry one in and not get caught, but if you take a snap and somebody sees you, you know that you'll be escorted to the door and a subpoena may be waiting for you when you get home from your ex-job.
      • sexybobo, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3The video you are discussing clearly showed that some one was snooping around but they never had any evidence that it was a best buy employee other they the fact they said it was. As for banning flash drives most of the geek squad stores give employees thumb drives with all the tools they use on them so they cant ban them.

        And what would they be found liable of they didn't break any laws.
        • Harabeck, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4Have you been to a Best Buy? All those computers are kept back in a corner, behind a large counter, guarded by Geek Squad, it was almost certainly an employee and there was probably a camera that could tell them who it was.
          • sexybobo, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2the video was just a screen cap of what the guy was doing after it had happened. They didn't even have proof that it was taken to a geek squad.
      • xsquirrel378x, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1link to video? no rickroll plox
  • asspants, on 05/05/2008, -17/+10http://www.duggmirror.com got it:

    FTA:
    The lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County, Minnesota, claims that when a computer comes into a Geek Squad center, the employees comb through personal files and sometimes copy lewd or other content over to their own personal flash drive.

    According to Minneapolis newspaper The Star Tribune, the lawsuit was filed quickly after an anonymous employee sent a letter to online consumer advocate site The Consumerist. In the letter, the employee wrote, "If you have any interesting pictures of yourself or others on your computer, then they -- will -- be -- found."

    Geek Squad says it takes "reasonable precautions to protect against the loss, misuse and unauthorized access of your personal information."

    Geek Squad, which is the self-claimed largest computer support company in the country, downplayed the event by saying it was an isolated incident. However, a new employee has come forward confessing a similar action.

    William Giffels came forward and said he sought out revealing pictures of a customer who brought in a computer for repairs. He copied the pictures to his flash drive, and then were copied to multiple CDs used in the Geek Squad department of the store.

    "It was dumb, and I regret that lapse in judgment. I have placed Best Buy in a precarious position, both legally and 'reputationally,'" said Giffels. Several other people claiming to be Geek Squad employees have quietly admitted to doing the same kind of thing.

    Best Buy says it has increased the number of audits it conducts at its Geek Squad locations, but advocates suggest the store needs to completely overhaul its operation. "No matter what investigative protocol Best Buy uses, someone is going to find a way around it," said Consumerist editor Ben Popken to the Star Tribune.

    With regard to controversy, though, Best Buy remains defensive. "Our agents only see the data they need to," said Best Buy spokesperson Paula Baldwin.
  • schlottj, on 05/05/2008, -8/+1http://www.tomsguide.com/us/geeksquad-best-buy,new ...
  • ifthenelse, on 05/05/2008, -8/+3Wait, the Nerd Herd is real?!
  • PhoneGuy, on 05/05/2008, -11/+39Anyone who relies on the Geek Squad for computer repairs deserves what they get.

    • micflo, on 05/05/2008, -0/+16Yeah its amazing how many people are willing to pay $159 for someone to click install, next, next and finish.
    • slidell4life, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2Amen.
    • edwartica, on 05/05/2008, -2/+4Yeah, just because a 50 year old woman doesn't know any better, she deserves for her the naughty pictures she took of herself for her husband to be viewed and copied by some jerk who doesn't respect privacy.
      • asspants, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3I agree with you.... wait, was that sarcasm?
      • JudgeMonkey, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3That would be a good way to get revenge on geek squad. Granny porn is readily available, name it something better and look at the disgusted face on the technician when you get your computer back.
    • HangerBaby, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES
    • dolemite01, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1I see, so when your dryer or washer or car or something you have ignorance of needs repair wherever you take it they are well with in their right to rip you off and tread on your privacy, because you deserve what you get, is that it?
  • andbruno, on 05/05/2008, -17/+1Unable to connect.
    Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www.tgdaily.com.

    It was a failure.
    I'm making a note here: huge 404.
    It's hard to understate my satisfaction.
    • RealmDown, on 05/05/2008, -0/+6Firefox is fine and so is the website. It's your laptop. Better take it in for service.
  • freakydingo, on 05/05/2008, -1/+30Not defending the snoopers here, but people seriously leave this stuff on their comp when they have it repaired, expecting it not to be found? Kind of silly. They don't deserve to violated like that, but take some precautions at least.
    • thcobbs, on 05/05/2008, -0/+9What's worse is when people bring in computers that are eaten up by viruses and porn redirects get indignant when you tell them that its because they look at porn sites without any virus/malware scanners.
    • jeruvin, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8not everyone has a computer that still functions enough to clear their dirty laundry from the hard drive.
      • theaceoffire, on 05/05/2008, -1/+1A Live CD will save your life one day.
      • Verytastycheese, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1Thats not the point. You already know that stuff is on your computer, don't bring it to best buy. Get someone you trust to fix it, give the small business guys a little coin.
    • SebHughes, on 05/05/2008, -2/+4Truecrypt FTW
      • asspants, on 05/05/2008, -2/+2FTW comments FTL
        • asspants, on 05/06/2008, -2/+1ehhh, no ***** you asspants, posting "xxxx for the win" is cool, trendy AND hip. I'm going to digg you down for that!
    • zongamin, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1Because its BROKEN and they can't delete their filth?
  • TeraRealm256, on 05/05/2008, -8/+5If you are dumb enough to have to take your computer to GS with sensitive material on the OS hard drive, then you deserve everything you get! Buy a ***** external and keep any "sensitive" data on that...that way when you take the PC in, your data is safe at home! People these days leave their entire lives on one hard drive! Wake the ***** up people! Hard drives fail faster than a US domestic automobile...
    • ohhaiitsryan, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8okay, ready to accept the reality of it yet?
      yeah, youre right, its dumb to rely on a single drive.
      but lets look at the situation at hand.
      more than likely, someone bringing a computer to geek squad is not going to be computer savvy in the least, and also likely not to take your mentioned precautions.
      "aw dude my internets not working... geek squad can fix it" - thats the general mindset of someone going there... not "gee, my computer seems to be on the fritz, before bringing this in to be looked at by a few guys in blue polos who know everything in the world about computers and the like, i would be wise to back up each file i own, and especially hide those photographs of that dame we got drunk one night that i havent seen in months."
      • revjustin2, on 05/05/2008, -0/+10"dame"? What is this? 1953? Did she have nice gams, daddy-o?
      • ashfish, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3Dugg you for using the word dame.
    • kdouze, on 05/05/2008, -3/+2yes, people are stupid. however similar to your car analogy how many people do you know that call a tow truck when they get a flat or bring their car to jiffy lube to get an oil change? people dont know enough about technology to do a back up or proper deletion even, open someones recycle bin and chances are it has never been emptied.
      p.s. american cars are just as good as japanese now, toyota and honda are slipping and ford and gm are on the rise, hell even daimler backs their warrenty for life. plus nothing will outlast a small block chevy or ford.
      • asspants, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1i think you're getting buried because you said american cars as just as good as japanese now.
        because we know that the workers unions that demanded the increased salary for unskilled/uneducated laborers that systematically caused their own demise said, "hey lets give them what they pay for and make these cars right from now on, guise lolol"

        sounds pretty likely? amirite?

        or, wait I've got another plausible situation!
        the US automobile manufacturer cartel said "***** this, we're tired of our cars barely making it 100,000 miles and forcing people to buy new ones, lets pay our engineers some more money to see if they can design a more reliable vehicle this time around..."

        and honda and toyota are slipping, they decided to stop using good parts in their vehicles and start putting in the peice of ***** plastic door hinges to save a couple cents..... I guess that makes about as much sense as anything else in your counterpoint that has no basis in reality.

        american cars are still inferior to foreign made vehicles.
        • roosterjm2k2, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Considering that most toyotas are made here, and most fords are made in mexico and canada, which one is truely "domestic" anymore ?
  • loobis, on 05/05/2008, -5/+15Whenever this Busted Tees ad comes up, whatever article I was about to click on suddenly becomes a lot less interesting.
    http://ll.atdmt.com/b/MSMSNMATCBT8/milkshake300x25 ...
    I don't want it to go away.
  • WestonP, on 05/05/2008, -2/+11Buried as inaccurate. Just because a lot of people in the same department choose to do something wrong, does not make it "policy". Copying personal files is clearly not Best Buy's policy, and it would seem that they have a policy specifically against such things.
    • pershingdriver, on 05/05/2008, -3/+6I agree it's not Best Buy policy but they are Best Buy employees working on the clock so Best Buy is on the hook for any misdeeds they do. ... Which is how it should be.
      • sexybobo, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7So if a Geek squad employee goes to make a house call to fix a pc and kills the person whos computer they fix it would be best buys fault?
      • Murphys, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3And if a bartender serves a minor who goes out and kills someone in a DUI, you sue the bar, not the bartender. (spoken as a bar owner) Regardless, the establishment pays the fine for serving a minor even though the "policy" is to never serve a minor.
    • HonoredMule, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3I'm sure that's more than enough consolation to their violated clients. "Hey, don't complain to US about it, we disapprove of what our employees are doing on the job without consequence or even getting caught. BAD employee...BAD. Now get to work on the next computer."
  • BryanG412, on 05/05/2008, -6/+3Honestly I can't blame Geek Squad employees for copying personal data from the computers they are servicing, I mean how could you resist snooping around for naughty pictures. If a person is stupid enough to take their computer to the Geek Squad and not remove any "personal" data from their computer, then that's their fault.
    • pershingdriver, on 05/05/2008, -3/+5So if a technician steals banking info an then runs up a huge credit debt I suppose its the 70 year old grandmothers fault that the guy at geek squad is a theif?

      When you take your computer or your car in for service you expect that you are dealing with honest people clearly you are not.

      On another note how would you feel about a clerk at your doctors office letting your employer look at your medical files(or a tech doing a repair on said computer). Just because you have access to data does not mean you have the legal right to look/copy/print that data. In point of fact any data on a computer that you are servicing, that is not directly related to the repair you are preforming is out of bounds. Access that data at your own peril for you have not been given permission to access and are subject to fines and prison time.
      • Speed, on 05/05/2008, -1/+2Difference between banking information and pornography. (I'm assuming this was legal pornography and not bestiality or child porn).
        Also, when diagnosing a virus (for example), the whole hard drive is in play until the scanner detects the infected files. Chances are if there's a virus on a computer with porn, the virus came from the porn. If you are removing a virus and the file that's infected is porn, would the directory you found the virus/porn in not be valid to access?
        • pershingdriver, on 05/05/2008, -0/+0Detecting that a file is infected does not give you permission to copy said file on to a thumb drive or do open it up and look at the contents. It gives you the right to quarantine the file and/or delete the file but that is all.
          • BryanG412, on 05/05/2008, -1/+2Back to your car analogy...when you take a car in for inspection you better make sure that you don't leave $100 on the seat, or for that matter in the car at all. It would be nice to trust that your $100 will be their when you get your car back, but chances are it won't be. What I am saying is that we are responsible for the data on our computers. When you submit your computer to a service department there is no way to guarantee that your personal data will not be tampered with...so before you submit your computer just remove your personal data.
          • ashfish, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2However if you can prove that the mechanic took the $100 from your car you could file charges on him. As $100 doesn't directly relate to the fixing of your car he had no business removing your property from your car. Same thing for your computer, looking probably isn't a crime - taking- information off your computer is the same as steeling and should be prosecuted. If you call a tenting company to fumigate your house and don't lock up all your valuables or don't lock them up well, and someone steals some of your things the company and/or the crew/person is responsible for that theft even though they had permission to be in your house.
          • Speed, on 05/06/2008, -1/+1Question: Why is everyone using false analogies like "stealing silverware" or "stealing $100" instead of a valid argument like a photo lab printing doubles of someones pictures and keeping a set for themselves, or (this is a stretch, but less so than physically stealing something) an auto mechanic photocopying pages from a book he finds in a car he's working on.
          • ashfish, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1Well, simply because it's a different medium doesn't mean that it isn't the same kind of stealing. Instead of slipping the silverware or $100 into a bag or wallet they're putting it on flash drives. But your examples work just as well.
    • chanop, on 05/05/2008, -1/+2I have access to millions of medical records, does that mean I can do what I wish with them?
      • BryanG412, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2You may have access to medical records because of a position you hold. It is part of your responsibility as an employee to respect the privacy of those records or you will be fired. When you take your personal computer to the "Geek Squad" or any computer service department for that matter, you are doing so of your own free will. Because you chose to take your computer their you are responsible for the data on it plain and simple.
    • Hubris, on 05/05/2008, -2/+1Most certainly they should be blamed....would you assert that 'she shouldn't have been dressed that way' to explain why someone is assaulted? The offending party is certainly at fault....the fact that the victim might have not used the best judgement doesn't excuse the action.

      Sure people might be too trusting and not take adequate precautions but we have to remember - these are non-technical people who have to use Geek Squad. If they knew everything about computer security they probably could fix their own machines..
      • BryanG412, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Here is why your argument fails. When you take your computer to the "Geek Squad" you are doing so of your own free will (unlike when a person is assaulted, which usually is against the victim's will). When you turn your computer over to a service department you are responsible for the data on that computer. If someone is not "technical" enough to erase browser history and move their personal data to a secure location, then they are not responsible enough to use a computer
        • kdesu, on 05/05/2008, -0/+0If you wish to find parallels, the victim leaving her home is equivalent to someone taking his computer to Geek Squad; being assaulted becomes comparable to having your data taken. Neither the assault nor the theft are of the victim's free will.
        • pershingdriver, on 05/06/2008, -0/+0Interesting ... I did not know there was a legally mandated test that people have to take prior to using a computer. Talk about Orwellian. Sure glad your not in congress you would just be another Bush Lackey.
  • YodaJones, on 05/05/2008, -2/+14Geek Squad: Taking advantage of old people and stealing data since 2002
    • aigulf, on 05/05/2008, -0/+10I really hope they're not copying lewd pictures of old people.... *shudder*
  • dummptyhummpty, on 05/05/2008, -2/+7I worked for Geek Squad about a year ago and while I disagreed with some practices, I NEVER saw this happening. We were too busy trying to fix things and handle in-store customers to be looking through computers. Plus the thought of a manager catching someone doing this, I don't think that would be good.
    • asspants, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1notice he said "trying to fix things"
      it describes the level of competence of your average "i'll ***** your ***** up for 10 dollars an hour" computer repair technician that works for geeksquad.
  • hokie47, on 05/05/2008, -6/+4We would have picture hunt contests. Examples of such items we were told to find. MMF threesum, the husband with another women, bondage, and other little gems. We were very sick.
  • irvin666, on 05/05/2008, -2/+1Damn I despise Geek Squad.
  • trshtehdsh, on 05/05/2008, -0/+8meh, would you take your car to a car shop and leave porn under the seat? probably not. i don't know why people think a computer would be any different.
    • pershingdriver, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1But you would leave the cars registration in the glove box... which lists everything someone would need to steal you identity. Tell us do you empty the trunk every time you take your car in for for an oil change? of course not because the oil change technician does not have permission to open the trunk.
  • Kaltenstadler, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4If your computer is broken and you go get it repaired, how are you supposed to get your photos, data, ect off before the repair?

    I guess it depends on what is wrong, but if you can't log into the system...
    • celticchrys, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2Take out your hard drive first.
      • publiclurker, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1If you know how to do that, would you be going to GeekSquad?
    • GrimlockX2, on 05/05/2008, -0/+0As was stated already, if you know how to do that then why would you take it in there. However, I also wanted to add though that a lot of repairs are warranty repairs from machines bought from BB and as such they will not repair it if it's 'incomplete'. If you take the hard drive out they'll refuse the warranty service until the unit is put back together (in the form of the original sale unit) and then brought to them. Just as if you replaced all the RAM that came with it and decided to take all your "good" RAM out before taking in the broken unit; you better have the original RAM still laying around. It's kind of a pain but I can see why the policy is there.
  • kingmanic, on 05/05/2008, -1/+6Bringing your computer to GS to fix is like bringing your Car to a high school mechanics class to fix. Stuff will be stolen, a poor job will be done, but unlike the high school mechanics class you will be over charged. I haven't heard a single good experience from people about them. From my casual experience with them, the majority of their staff are pretty low on the tech knowledge totem.
    • asspants, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1where are all the replies of the "I used to work at geeksquad" crybabies who get all butthurt when someone points out how incompetent they are, then they start bragging about how they once used norton antivirus to remove some virus and got a pat on the back from their boss to validate their l33t as shirt skillz.
  • protogenxl, on 05/05/2008, -1/+1Obviously his only Friend was Porn then he got a girlfriend and came clean to keep the aforementioned girlfriend after she found out what he was doing at work.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=MUGu8FAEBwc
    Really NSFW
    • yellowfish04, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Sean Cullen is amazing but that vid sucked, sorry
  • Disco1Stu, on 05/05/2008, -1/+1Go figure. If you work a job like Geek Squad, finding the occasional amateur porn picture is probably the highlight of the week. This guy knows what I'm talking about http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/02/21/1261@325483. ...
  • Zoshchenko, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4You know, normally I'm the first to jump on the bash-the-big-guys bandwagon, but in this case Best Buy is the victim of some immature morons who absolutely know better than to compromise a customer's private data. Best Buy is not telling them to do this and does not condone it. Fire - or prosecute - the idiots who do this, but don't blame Best Buy simply because it hired jerks.
  • omgsideburns, on 05/05/2008, -2/+2pics or it didn't happen...
  • j0siahAstacy, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4Customers have been known to leave porn DVDs in their computers when bringing them to the Geek Squad. Agents don't always have to snoop to find things customers don't want them to. Aside from that, every customer signs a disclaimer that effectively removes almost any liability for data or hardware from the Geek Squad. This kind of law suit hasn't gotten very many people very many places. You shouldn't sue over policy unless you know what the policy is, and it is by no means Best Buy's policy to copy customer data without their explicit consent. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's a fireable offense.
  • jpbleuu, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3i worked in the best buy tech bench for almost a year back in 2000 or so, when it wasn't called geek squad. non of us did anything like that probably because when we worked on computers the monitors were facing the customers. i did have one couple who had a sexy pic of them as their background now that was hilarious.

    i can't say the same for when i worked at my college's IT department, we had a server dedicated to the crap we pulled off student laptops. nude pictures, music, movies, porn. it was great. hahaha.
  • proxyviper, on 05/05/2008, -4/+3I am currently a jr in high school and work for geek squad. It is depressing to see stories like this because I can honestly say that in my store, these such things are not present! Go 221!
    • justjoehere, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4Liar or Naive. Pick one.
    • Harabeck, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2They would actually hire a guy in Jr High? Seem very unlikely.
    • slidell4life, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Jr in HS he said. I think that makes him 16 or 17. ...perfect age for that stuff.
  • hammerpants, on 05/05/2008, -1/+4I'm really glad I read digg. I'm a writer/creative director, and I use a Mac. I like tinkering with machines and computers, but nowadays I don't have time to do it, so I pay people who're smarter and more experienced than I to maintain my computer operations. Last week, I went with my mom to Best Buy. She's pushing 60, and, in her mind, Geek Squad is the be all/end all. I showed her a couple of articles I'd found on digg and convinced her to stay away. Saved her from the impending con job they were trying to lay on her.
  • DeFex, on 05/05/2008, -2/+3Anyone who takes their computer to them deserves whatever they get.
  • futurezero, on 05/05/2008, -1/+5I'm sorry, if you're:
    A) Dumb enough to leave questionable photos of you, your friends, etc. on your computer
    B) Dumb enough to not at least try to soft protect your sensitive data with decent passwords
    C) Dumb enough to bring your computer to Best Buy to get fixed
    Then you probably at least somewhat deserve what you get.
    People are just dumb and their ideas on computer security are so askew it's ridiculous. I'm sure these idiots who bring their computers to get fixed at Best Buy are the first people to get skeptical of buying something online because "a hacker might steal my credit card".
    • saisumimen, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1"idiots who bring their computers to get fixed at Best Buy are the first people to get skeptical of buying something online because "a hacker might steal my credit card"."

      No, that's a genuine concern for them, since they're the type of people who see random info fields on ANY website (some even ask for their SSN!) and think they have to fill them out every time.
  • semorehighknee, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Keep your personal files on external drives and media.
    Also I clear my cache and history etc every time I close my browser.
    Even encrypting files and keeping the key on a flash drive or something would deter this.
    • SuperRoach, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1Even your cookies, so you need to login to every site, every time? Thats going to waste a lot of time.
  • a1programmer, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Geek Squak
  • justjoehere, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2"Our agents only see the data they need to" guess they needed to see that.
  • piratearggghhh, on 05/05/2008, -0/+4I worked at Best Buy as a tech before they turned into Geek Squad and part of the reason why I left (besides getting into grad school and being too busy) was their shift from focusing on actually fixing and upgrading, which I liked, to being salesmen basically. Once I got a pressure to pressure customers to do unecessary services and upgrades and sell MSN 3 year contracts (remember those), there went any future tech services employee of month awards. A bunch of idiot salesmen became techs and the work backlog grew since few techs who didn't quit actually did the work after the sale. Once it became GS, I knew the transformation was complete and now it's an "elite" position - what a joke - now they're even arrogant to boot.
    • asspants, on 05/06/2008, -0/+2I would like to congratulate you, and point out that you're the first former geeksquad employee that i've seen that hasn't come in here to defend how great they think they are.
      I've said this before and got my ass dugg down, anyone that says they work at geek squad is not a technician, they're salespeople now, they won't hire real technicians, because real technicians fix ***** instead of selling it and don't reccomend the latest version of norton internet security as an end all fix it all.
      one of these groups of individuals will make you lots of money and give you a bad name. the other will not make you as much money, but will keep your customers coming back.
  • h3lx, on 05/05/2008, -0/+3Geeksquad be only liable for the criminal acts of it's employees if it condones and/ or promotes the illegal activity. I don't see them doing this. The case should be against the individual employees and not the company. You place someone in a position of trust and have a basic expectation that that person will willfully adhere to the R&R governing the position. Once violated, they're fired, reprimanded, or criminal charges are brought up.

    If one employee sees another employee stealing ***** and rats them out, they investigate and ultimately fire them. If it becomes a conspiracy to steal, then they file charges...

    Again, you surrender your property to them in confidence and surrender a bit of your expectation of privacy, but you don't waive your right to not be burglarized.
    • Speed, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1It's pointless to sue a bunch of teenagers with no money. And legally (right or wrong), Best Buy is liable since they were acting as agents of Best Buy.
      Also, companies almost never file charges if they fire a person for stealing. In my experience it's usually a firing with a lifetime ban.
      And the problem with saying it's burglarized is they didn't lose anything tangible. Copying information without their permission is piracy at best. Unless you want to claim that Diggers are actually stealing from Adobe and the RIAA?
      • h3lx, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Theft of images, regardless of the intended use or function, is theft and punishable. The problem is assigning a punitive value to the property. I put it up there with someone you invite into your home stealing your silverware.

        If you use Photoshop and did not pay for it, it's stolen, that said, the RIAA is different in that many people who have 'stolen' music are simply replacing music lost or stolen from them. 2/3rds of all the music I own has completely degraded into useless plastic from wear and abuse. Justifiable theft IMO.
        • Speed, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1But the old argument applies again: how is it theft if the person still has the original? If a person steals your silverware, you have no silverware, if a person "steals" your JPEGs, you still have your JPEGs.
          • h3lx, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1If it does not belong to you, and you use it for whatever purpose without a granted authority either by purchase or consent. It's stolen. It's not an argument.
  • Speed, on 05/05/2008, -0/+7Question: I see a lot of Diggers claim that Best Buy isn't punishing offenders, etc. but how do we know? Best Buy legally can't disclose a persons employment status to the media (or any punishment they may have received), especially when they already have a lawsuit (valid or not) claiming they violated customers privacy. They can't violate an employees privacy just because said employee violated a customers.
    • InRussetShadows, on 05/05/2008, -1/+3*LOL* This is Digg. Whatever wild-arsed, crazy trash that people put in their comments they'll defend 'til their very first drop of blood. It's not like half the people on Digg at any one time aren't smoking a doobie or anything!
    • pershingdriver, on 05/06/2008, -0/+0Speed, Well said.
  • kraft123, on 05/05/2008, -1/+1Unfortunately, that's usual! The consumer must know that! Personal I advice clients about that problem! Sometimes you must verify entire hard disk for finding error or save some virused files! You see pictures, video, documents ...! But it's true, more geeks look on the computer documents for curiosity!
  • xsquirrel378x, on 05/05/2008, -2/+1curious what the GS employees are copying from these peoples HDs? has to be CP. if its just regular porno theyre copying, the employees are just as lame as the people who take their computers to GS
    • darkamster07, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1in b4 pedobear

      it probbaly is some CP, but what I think people at geek squad are really looking for is lewd pictures of the customers themselves.
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