Computer repair technicians may be acting illegally in Texas.

[johnastovall]

The Institute for Justice, a legal advocacy group for entrepreneurs, informed Rife last month of a Texas state law requiring computer repair shops to have a private investigator's license to fix computers.

The institute filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Texas Private Security Board claiming that the law is unconstitutional.

According to the law passed in the 2007 Texas legislative session, the private investigator's license is required for repair technicians to analyze their customers' computer data. This analysis is common for business managers who wish to track their employees' computer usage or families who want to find out where their children or spouses have been online, said Matt Miller, executive director of the institute.

"Anyone that analyzes computer data has conducted this regulated service and needs a license," Miller said.

[3n-Out]

LOL I saw this last week...Funny

[Behind_The_Lens]

More stupid than funny.

[Steelsun]

Looks like another misuse of the law. It's aimed at computer forensics, and the board (i.e. DPS) published an opinion that a license is NOT needed for analyzing data to fix it, just for analysis leading to civil or criminal court cases, administrative actions, etc.

They had the same over-reaction to the way the law was interpreted for expert witnesses (some people were reading in that any expert witness giving an opinion in court needed the license - not so)

And I am licensed (have been for about 12 years)

[3n-Out]

Yes, it is soooooooooo stupid it is funny that they would even discuss this matter.

[Murph]

Total over reaction, partly its to keep untrained,unlicensed computer techs from F'ing up your evidence, and while I have not read all of it, what I have read does not seem to lend itself to the hysteria that is building about it.

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by Behind_The_Lens

More stupid than funny.

Brought to you by the very same people that gave us deregulated electricity WOOHOO

[nancyc]

Sweet, another urban legend made the news!

[Steelsun]

Here's the official opinion of the state : http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/psb/docs/psb_opin_sum.pdf
(see bottom of page 5).
License only needed if the repair/analysis is to help solve a crime.

[rages4calm]

Originally Posted by Steelsun

Here's the official opinion of the state : http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/psb/docs/psb_opin_sum.pdf
(see bottom of page 5).
License only needed if the repair/analysis is to help solve a crime.

You beat me too the link :P

[Steelsun]

It's something I review about once a month.
We may have a TSCM section starting up, and they covered the questions I had for that too.

[friday]

Thanks for the website