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How The FBI Used Geek Squad To Increase Secret Public Surveillance (ocweekly.com)
In 2011 a gynecology doctor took his computer for repairs at Best Buy's Geek Squad. But the repair technician was a paid FBI informant -- one of several working at Geek Squad -- and the doctor was ultimately charged with possessing child pornography, according to OC Weekly. An anonymous reader quotes their new report:
Recently unsealed records reveal a much more extensive secret relationship than previously known between the FBI and Best Buy's Geek Squad, including evidence the agency trained company technicians on law-enforcement operational tactics, shared lists of targeted citizens and, to covertly increase surveillance of the public, encouraged searches of computers even when unrelated to a customer's request for repairs. Assistant United States Attorney M. Anthony Brown last year labeled allegations of a hidden partnership as "wild speculation." But more than a dozen summaries of FBI memoranda filed inside Orange County's Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse this month in USA v. Mark Rettenmaier contradict the official line...
Other records show how [Geek Squad supervisor Justin] Meade's job gave him "excellent and frequent" access for "several years" to computers belonging to unwitting Best Buy customers, though agents considered him "underutilized" and wanted him "tasked" to search devices "on a more consistent basis"... evidence demonstrates company employees routinely snooped for the agency, contemplated "writing a software program" specifically to aid the FBI in rifling through its customers' computers without probable cause for any crime that had been committed, and were "under the direction and control of the FBI." The doctor's lawyer argues Best Buy became an unofficial wing of the FBI by offering $500 for every time they found evidence leading to criminal charges.
Other records show how [Geek Squad supervisor Justin] Meade's job gave him "excellent and frequent" access for "several years" to computers belonging to unwitting Best Buy customers, though agents considered him "underutilized" and wanted him "tasked" to search devices "on a more consistent basis"... evidence demonstrates company employees routinely snooped for the agency, contemplated "writing a software program" specifically to aid the FBI in rifling through its customers' computers without probable cause for any crime that had been committed, and were "under the direction and control of the FBI." The doctor's lawyer argues Best Buy became an unofficial wing of the FBI by offering $500 for every time they found evidence leading to criminal charges.
Top 976 Complaints and Reviews about Geek Squad Quote: "I feel that they're a scam. They get people to buy their support and anytime they help it costs more money."
9 Confessions Of A Former Geek Squad Geek Quote: "A high percentage of Geek Squad employees lack basic troubleshooting skills such as correctly identifying malfunctioning components."
Geek Squad Complaints and Reviews Quote: "$430 Average loss"
Yelp Reviews for Geek Squad in San Francisco Quote: "Dealing with Geek Squad has been an absolute nightmare!! And judging by the hundreds of other reviews here, im guessing most of you feel the same way."
Geek Squad Consumer Reviews Quote: ""Cheat Squad," Not Geek Squad"
Unfortunately, the 4th Amendment only restricts the government. There's nothing restricting your neighbor, a private company, or the employees of a private company from collecting a reward if they happen to notice you doing something illegal.
Didn't this story run a few months ago? Has it happened again? Has anything changed, or is EditorDavid new?
Unfortunately, the 4th Amendment only restricts the government. There's nothing restricting your neighbor, a private company, or the employees of a private company from collecting a reward if they happen to notice you doing something illegal.
Ah spoken by someone who hasn't a clue and instead starts playing the role of statist apologist. When the government trains, directs, and pays a "private citizen", that person becomes an agent of the government. This makes those persons subject to the same rules; probable cause, warrants, oath or affirmation.. This bit I dug up on nolo.com The admissibility of evidence found by a private citizen usually turns on the government’s “share” of the search. In other words, how involved was the government? While cases where the government ordered or paid a citizen to conduct the search are fairly straightforward, others aren’t. In determining whether to admit the evidence in question, courts consider questions like: whether the government initiated the search how much control the government had over the private citizen who conducted the search, and what the private citizen’s purpose was in conducting the search. And what was the FBI doing? Oh yeah... paying them..training them...giving them lists of people to search extra carefully. You clueless, statist, cocksucking fuck. Now please go back to blowing your J. Edgar Hoover love doll.
My understanding - from a talk at DefCon by a lawyer - was that once the FBI is aware of what Geek Squad staff are doing, those staff have become agents of the state and therefore require a warrant.
It's "fine" for somebody to look at your drive and inform the authorities if they find something illegal - the government was not aware of what was happening so it's admissable. This changes the moment the government says "thanks for that, let us know if this happens again, by the way here's some cash". They've instructed someone to access private information without a warrant.
Source: https://youtu.be/ibQGWXfWc7c - DEFCON 17: Search And Seizure Explained - They Took My Laptop!
I would think they methods they use are really unimportant here, given the level of direct involvement by the FBI here. This is akin to giving a PI a list of names, what to look for, and then paying them if he finds anything.
Geek squad is clearly acting as agent of the FBI here. All evidence should be disallowed due to lack of warrant.
If you have nothing to hide, why should it matter either way?
Because the 4th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States explicitly makes this kind of fishing expedition illegal for Federal agencies, and the FBI is arguably breaking the very laws it's sworn to uphold and enforce.
But... aside from deliberate and willful lawlessness which circumvents legal protections the Founders saw fit to write into the foundational law of country... yeah, what's the problem?
Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.