Computer Techs May Access Private Information
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Can you sue the computer repair service for accessing your information?
A Tuscaloosa woman sued Best Buy last month because she claims that when she brought her computer in for servicing, the company's so called Geek Squad found her nude pictures and then posted them on line. You may know that this is not the first lawsuit involving technicians at a computer repair service that, as part of the repair process, copied data so it wouldn't be lost but then used either the financial or highly personal information.
So, can Best Buy - or any other computer service — or the guys in your own IT department for that matter - be sued for accessing data?
There is a patchwork of laws that protect private information by health care providers or from companies that store your credit card information, but for the most part companies are held to the security policy they create and tell you about. So before you give your computer to anyone, check the security policy to see how much or little they'll be accessing and sharing your info.
And, also remember that even companies with good policies have employees with bad tendencies so to avoid having to file a lawsuit later, wipe off the nudie pictures before you hand over your laptop.
