FBI Paying Geek Squad Employees for Electronic Devices with “Questionable” Content

The FBI is starting to do something I believe should have been done decades ago. They are paying Best Buy’s infamous “Geek Squad” employees to hand in illegal/potentially harmful content found on their customers’ electronic devices, and thereby taking further steps toward tapping our phones, computers, laptops, and other devices to look for leads on dark web issues, such as child pornography, terrorist behavior, and any harmful information.

The FBI is using their incredible authority to seek out these electronic employees, in hopes of finding dark content on electric devices and taking the necessary steps in court to hold these people accountable for their disgusting actions.

There is no question these acts by the FBI  send us towards a sort of slippery slope of decreased personal freedom, however, I believe it is a completely necessary one that increases moral and ethical self-reflection. Of course in theory, and by the letter of the law, the government has no right to contact these employees and ask them for what is considered private customer information, at least not without a warrant or some sort of reasonable doubt or interpreted intent. With that being said, they are doing this for the common good.

In light of recent police behavior in the last 3-4 years and some of our government hierarchy, I definitely have some love lost for our “protectors” and elected officials. However, I believe that this step, if acted upon, would be a right one. Of course, I understand the counterclaim of people wanting the right to their privacy, as we are potentially tainting country’s idea of “freedom.” I respect those concerns.

Here in a class at New England College, a professor I won’t name with students I won’t name, as well as myself, were having a discussion that touched on this topic. My fellow students harshly and passionately dismissed the idea of the FBI “tapping” anything and how it was unconstitutional and ethically incorrect, and I couldn’t help but sort of laugh to myself in the corner of the classroom because I was astonished by how these individuals, who I considered to be intellectuals, were missing the bigger picture.

I believe it to be selfish to put up cyber walls between citizens and the FBI that could prevent the potential to save lives. To me, privacy, and the entitlement that you have the “right” to your own information, is foolish. If you have nothing to hide, if you have no history of misbehavior, if you are the Good Samaritan that you think you are, then this will not affect you. Sure, the government, in filtering for the “bad guy,” will stumble upon your surprise birthday party for Susan or your break-up text with James, but they don’t, and won’t, care about those things. Of course, parameters need to be set up so that it is only “serious crimes” that are investigated and we need to have a process of evaluating what is serious and what is not.

This course of action could potentially lead us to the next heroin drug dealer, or the next concert shooter, or the next person who plans to mow down innocent tourists in his vehicle. It is selfish to say we should not unveil all information for the sake of finding the harmful types, and I hope the American people open their eyes to this idea, for the sake of others.

If you think this is an invasion of privacy, tell that to the parents who just lost their child in a school shooting or the husband who lost his wife at a country concert. Then maybe, your perspective will change.