Best Buy’s Geek FBI Informant Ring Faces Legal Scrutiny

A recent lawsuit revealed that the FBI has developed eight “confidential human sources” inside Best Buy’s massive Geek Squad repair shop in Brooks, Ky. Over the last several years when the technicians retrieved data from customers’ laptops, they reported instances of child pornography to the FBI. The agency paid them for the information. A California doctor whose laptop was flagged has sued, opening the situation to legal analysis. Does a Geek Squad customer forfeit their right to privacy when they send their laptop to be fixed? And if the informants are paid, does that compromise their credibility or make them de facto government agents? The child pornography case will explore the relationship between Best Buy and the FBI, which defense attorney James D. Riddet described as “so cozy.” He added that the interaction between the company and the agency is “so extensive that it turns searches by Best Buy into government searches.” Best Buy spokesman Jeff Shelman told the Washington Post that “Best Buy and Geek Squad have no relationship with the FBI. From time to time, our repair agents discover material that may be child pornography and we have a legal and moral obligation to turn that material over to law enforcement. We are proud of our policy and share it with our customers before we begin any repair.”