Davey Winder
Wednesday, 02 July 2008 17:47
IT Policy -
Regulation
Page 1 of 3
If you want to repair computers in Texas then you need to complete a three year apprenticeship and get your private investigator license first. Either that or face a year in jail, according to an amendment to the Texas Occupations Code...
The
Institute for Justice has filed a lawsuit on
behalf of computer repair guy Mike Rife against the Texas Private
Security Bureau (PSB) arguing that a new law unconstitutionally denies
computer repair companies the right to work in their chosen profession.
This based around the Texas Constitution which protects the right of
Texans to earn an honest living without unreasonable government
interference.
Mike Rife considers having to close his
successful computer repair business while he undertakes a three year
apprenticeship with a licensed private investigator in order to get a
private eye license himself, well, unreasonable.
Yet that is exactly what the state of Texas appears to demand of him
under the requirements of the new 2007 Texas Occupations Code which has
come into effect. If Mike, or any other computer repair guy, continues
to fix computers without first becoming a fully qualified private
investigator then he faces a year in prison and a USD $4,000 (AUD
$4,167) fine.
What's more, that same Texas law allows for further civil penalties of
USD $10,000 (AUD $10,419) for examining computer files and explaining
to his customer, the computer owner, what caused the computer to crash
in the first place.
Welcome to the wonderfully mad world of the Lone Star State.
So how does the amended Texas law actually define an investigation? Read on to find out more...
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