How many remember the TV show Chuck from the late 2000s and early 2010s? It was about a consumer servicing man who was an undercover agent. But computer repair company Geek Squad allegedly has undercover agents, too. Geek Squad: Are you spying on us?
So here is the story. Tech news website Techdirt?tweeted on this subject. Consequently, they say the FBI paid Geek Squad technicians. Their mission: to investigate crime on their customers. Techdirt isn’t the only one talking about Geek Squad. Tech journalist Zack Whittaker also claimed their Geek Squad technicians got FBI rewards for spy activity. It’s not much though. At best, the reward is $500. That sounds like a cheap amount for an informant, doesn’t it?
But wait…there’s more. Hence, these undercover techs caught some real criminals. In California, an Orange County doctor brought his computer in. The Geek Squad tech found child pornography on it. But this tech was an FBI informant. He reported the doctor. In November 2014, the law indicted the doctor on two counts of child pornography. So there is some good here. But are they crossing legal boundaries? Furthermore, just how cozy is this private tech company with the FBI?
Well, according to Whittaker’s tweets, very cozy. The relationship goes back to 2007. From what I’m reading, being informants is about the only thing Geek Squad has going for them. Don’t take my word for it. In our computer service shop, we served some of their dissatisfied customers. But I digress. I’m glad they caught the doctor. But that’s just one case out of thousands. I’m sure there are thousands of innocent people that are getting spied on. These people did nothing to deserve this treatment. I believe this is a violation of our Fourth Amendment. You see, there has to be probable cause to search and seize somebody. Simply bringing a messed up computer in a shop is hardly probable cause for anything! Once again, too many people are having their privacy trifled by the government and corporate America. Are they going too far?