Texas Computer techs required to get PI License or go to jail

Texas Computer techs required to get PI License or go to jail

cw33.trb.com

A new Texas law requires every computer repair technician to obtain a private investigator's license, according to a lawsuit filed in Austin. Violators can face a $4,000 fine and one year in jail, as well as a $10,000 civil penalty.

Unlicensed computer shops will have to close down until they obtain a private investigator's license.

(visit the link for the full news article)

What is this country coming to? I am confused....From What I take on this is that this law is based on Computer tech's working on government computers. As talked about below.

media.www.dailytexanonline.com... tml

So why do all technicians have to get a PI license? Why cannot just technicians that want to work on government computers get it....That would make it more of a competitive market. I dunno, to me they are not thinking this through.

-Kdial1



cw33.trb.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 3-7-2008 by kdial1]

Fixed Link

Above is the fixed link from my above post.

-Kdial1

the obvious question : has anyone been prosecuted under this law ?

Thats pretty retarded LOL. I was an independant technical consultant for awhile in Dallas. I did a lot of work for banks. I would have been pissed if this happend to me. And if I think a job title change might also get around this law. They already do it for tax reasons, in business's.

Originally posted by Memysabu
Thats pretty retarded LOL. I was an independant technical consultant for awhile in Dallas. I did a lot of work for banks. I would have been pissed if this happend to me. And if I think a job title change might also get around this law. They already do it for tax reasons, in business's.

Exactly, It will probably end up being outsourced now to "Compter Consultants"

reply to post by kdial1


think of it this time

Day Job Computer repair man/women

in the Nights PI extradenair

the goverment prob just wants to open up new prospects for these people

I have a question. Does anyone know if the online learning places like pvteye.com are legitimate?

Does anyone have any helpfull information on becoming a REAL PI?

I think a great part of it is simply the money.
Revenue Enhancement as the governing bodies like to call it.


Short story here:

Friend of little brothers owned a small muffler shop in Southern California.
Good place, they did good work, the owner was struggling to say afloat and take care of his family like any other small businessman.

Little brother was visiting one day when the county guy came in and told the owner the county required yet another permit.
$1200. annually for this one.

The owner came a touch unglued, told the county guy he could kiss his aftside, he was firing the two employees and closing the shop.
Which he did.

The building is used to store stuff, the ex-owner went to a more business friendly state and last we heard he was doing fine.

And California wonders why it's running out of $$.

Ya can't give away what you don't have.

I'll bet too that if a revolution does start, it'll fire up in California and spread from there....

Would like to see this guys take on it.

In the Austin American-Statesman, State Rep. Joe Driver, (R-Garland) explains the intent of the law, and claims it does not place such restrictions on most computer shops.

Seems like he is the only person offering any sanity in the whole situation.

I heard there's a new tv show in the works: Magnum Computer Technician

Should be a good one.

The reason for this is that a PI becomes what is known as an "officer of the court". It's a legal term that confers the responsibility of reporting anything you see that is illegal. If you aren't a PI, then you can let something slide. If you are a PI, then you can't.

In other words, you've been conscripted into the Police State apparatus.

[edit on 3-7-2008 by applebiter]

reply to post by applebiter


Agreed. ts all about creating a citizen over watch cadre who will for free report back to their masters in the law enforcement sector.

Unfreaking believable.

Well, at least this way you will have thousands of computer techs rolling round packing heat . . . . . Should do wonders for crime levels.. safest neighbourhood on earth. Lmao

Originally posted by Dan Tanna
reply to post by applebiter

 

Agreed. ts all about creating a citizen over watch cadre who will for free report back to their masters in the law enforcement sector.

Unfreaking believable.

Well, at least this way you will have thousands of computer techs rolling round packing heat . . . . . Should do wonders for crime levels.. safest neighbourhood on earth. Lmao

Not that using techs as informants would do much good that I can see...

I worked with a man for a couple years who turned out to be kind of a bigwig in the underground child-porn industry. He had a private little rape/photog room in his basement, the works. He was obviously more than a little cracked; I recall that hideous laugh of his like a hyena on meth... He was a creepy guy.

Well, he was also pretty computer-savvy. It wasn't through a tech finding files on his hard drive that he got caught; it was through old-fashioned detective work and putting pressure on those of his "clients" who had been picked up by police. I doubt he would ever have needed a tech to fix his computer, and had he needed it, he would have been very careful about what could be accessed and how.

My point is, I would expect most anyone they're really trying to catch with this crap would be smart enough to find ways around it. Child molesters don't send their pics to the Walgreen's website for printing. "Terrorists", I'd think, would be unlikely to make such a foolish mistake as to have their plans laid out in an Excel spreadsheet.

I think the informant angle is kind of a "side benefit" to what is primarily designed as a revenue stream for the state.

How hard is it to get a PI license in Texas? It's pretty hard in Illinois, from what I recall when I was in college for criminal justice.

reply to post by applebiter



Interesting. When my husband had his own computer repair business, he never got into people's personal stuff. He figured that was their own personal business.

I understand that teachers, if they notice a bruise on a student or a student tells them of abuse, they are required by law to tell authorities. The teacher is never to be held liable for reporting something that turns out to not be true.

Will this be the requirement for techs, that they must report something (site, software, etc.) that is illegal, such as child porn, that is found on a customer's computer?
And how is this stuff supposed to be found, if it is not necessary to go into private stuff to repair a computer?
Will they ever end up being "required" to go into personal stuff?

I give child porn as an example, but what about whatever the government deems of interest, stuff not necessarily illegal? You did a search for nitrogen, for hydroponic equipment, for certain political affiliations, etc. etc.?

How will a customer ever trust a Texas tech to not look into personal stuff?

reply to post by garyo1954


Here's the article including Driver's comments: www.statesman.com...

Unfortunately, it only serves to illustrate that he (and whoever wrote this law) have no clue about what a computer technician actually does...

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


Thanks for the info.

Driver said the only cases in which computer technicians would need a license would be when they are asked to investigate and analyze private data

Who is doing the asking, and for what purpose? Ok, so this might rule out a computer tech being asked by a sheriff detective if a client has illegal activity on a computer? Could it rule out a lawyer asking a tech to investigate in a divorce case?

Perhaps the key here is the word "investigation", but it still looks like a tech would need a PI license if they "review" and/or(?) "analysis".

"the review and analysis of, and the investigation"

I guess I can see how Driver is saying that citizens need to have computer forensic evidence to be held to a higher standard. That the court should not have to take just any tech's "review and analysis" as evidence. Ok, but maybe the law is not written that way. Maybe the law is poorly written.

As it stands, it does look like any tech should be a PI just for "reviewing" and "analyzing" someone's programs, files, etc., which is something my husband had to do at times.
If that were the case, then it could be that any tech could be asked by a sheriff detective what is on a client's computer. And would they then have to report it?