Texas PC PIs
p2pnet news | Off Topic:- If you’re a Texas computer repair specialist and you’re about to go out on a job, better make sure you have your PI licence handy —-
—- PI as in Private Investigator.
That’s because of a, “Texas state law requiring computer repair shops to have a private investigator’s license to fix computers,” says The Daily Texan.
“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,” says the story, going on:
“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.
But not to worry. A “a legal advocacy group for entrepreneurs” is on the case.
It filed a lawsuit against the Texas Private Security Board claiming the law is unconstitutional, says the story, adding:
“If a computer repair technician conducts a computer service that the government considers an investigation, the technician could be subject to a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. This law also considers consumers who knowingly enlist an unlicensed company to perform an investigative repair subject to the same penalties.
“To obtain a private investigator’s license, computer repair shop owners would have to close their businesses for up to three years to either earn a criminal justice degree or complete an apprenticeship under a licensed private investigator, Miller said.”
Now you know 
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The Daily Texan – Computer repair technicians may be acting illegally, June 27, 2008
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December 9th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
This Texas legislation is causing problems for robo-cop traffic enforcement. A Texas judge said the company running a red-light camera was acting illegally because it did not have a private investigator license. On the basis of this ruling, motorists are challenging traffic tickets. See deails: http://legal-beagle.typepad.com/wrights_legal_beagle/2008/12/e-discovery-forensics-private-investigator-license-for-computer-data-collection-and-assessment.html –Ben