【Watch New Son (2020) Korean movie】

Who needs probable cause when you have Watch New Son (2020) Korean moviegeeks?

That appears to be the thinking of the FBI, which has been working with Best Buy's computer repair service Geek Squad for at least a decade. And we're not talking about geeks fixing Bureau computers.

SEE ALSO: The FBI has a 'huge' problem with your smartphone

Instead, according to documents obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the law enforcement agency has paid Geek Squad employees to act as informants and report potentially illegal content found on customers' computers. What's more, in at least one case it appeared that an employee may have proactively searched a computer for suspicious content — as opposed to just reporting what he or she inadvertently stumbled across.

Notably, the same documents — obtained via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit — suggest that the FBI does not straight-up instruct Geek Squad employees to perform these searches. However, as the EFF writes, documents show that the employees received financial rewards for finding child pornography on customer machines. This, of course, could incentivize those searches.

Coming for you. Credit: Tim Boyle/Getty

The relationship between the FBI and the geeks goes back to at least 2008, and has previously been the focus of media attention. In 2017 the Washington Postreported on the case of a Geek Squad employee finding suspicious material on a surgeon's computer, and turning that information over the FBI. That led to a raid and the discovery of “thousands of images of child pornography.”

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

At the time, Best Buy confirmed to the paper that its Geek Squad employees “inadvertently discover” similar material on computers around 100 times a year — but denied that those employees were actively seeking it out.

“As a company, we have not sought or received training from law enforcement in how to search for child pornography," the statement read in part. "Our policies prohibit employees from doing anything other than what is necessary to solve the customer’s problem."

However, the documents obtained by the EFF show that Best Buy played host to the FBI's Cyber Working Group at a company repair facility. So take that for what you will.

While much ambiguity remains in just how closely Best Buy and Geek Squad work with the FBI and in what exact capacity, it is clear that if you're doing illegal stuff on your computer your best bet isn't sending it off to the Geeks for repair.

And, in the end, we probably shouldn't be surprised that the Geek Squad is narcing out its customers — after all, have you seen its commercials? The actors have badges.

---

Featured Video For You

---

---

Topics Cybersecurity

• Shopping
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Life
• Games
• Tech
• Science

• Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 2
• 'Stranger Things' creepy old Creel House is up for sale
• Girl trains pet bird to attack whoever she wants and isn't afraid to use her powers
• Creator job opportunities grew 7x in recent years [April 2025]
• The 10 best gadgets for digital nomads
• Marvel Studios president has an extremely hilarious reaction to reporter's question
• 'Bayonetta 3' Naive Angel mode isn't censored enough to be kid
• Best portable power station deal: Save 44% on the Jackery Explorer 100 v2
• People can't figure out what the hell is happening in this photo

• A guide to Trump's alarming cabinet full of climate deniers
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for January 26
• Windows 11 Sticky Notes, the PC version of 'Post
• Taylor Swift deepfakes have gone viral. How does this keep happening?
• I Remember All Too Well: Taylor Swift and Joe Brainard by JoAnna Novak
• Shopping Diary by Adrienne Raphel
• SpaceX reveals cause of September explosion
• From Our Summer 1976 Issue: A List of Remarkably Silly Names
• Does It Have to Be That Way?: A Conversation with Elif Batuman by Maria Dimitrova
• Deep Emotion, Plain Speech: Camus’s The Plague by Laura Marris

• Robin Triumphant
• Robert Downey Jr. hosted a star
• Kid's fake passport assignment leads to an instantly iconic one
• Elon Musk suggests bringing back Vine, asks MrBeast for ideas
• Best Sony headphones deal: Over $100 off Sony XM5 headphones
• Comedian gives her family brilliant informational pamphlets before going on a date
• 'The White Lotus' Season 2 review: Go on vacation with the horny elite
• YouTubers are faking trips on Instagram to make a statement about social media
• Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
• Twitter might let users put videos behind a paywall

• Amazon Pet Day: All the best deals
• 'Snitty' is Twitter's word of the day after Bill Barr's Senate testimony
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 1
• The difference between Airbnb vs. Vrbo, explained
• DDR4 Memory at 4000 MT/s, Does It Make a Difference?
• Walmart Yodel Boy crowdsurfing on an inflatable horse has deep yeehaw energy
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 3
• How Google is helping scammers via Google Sites
• 13 Good Games You Can Play on Laptops and Budget PCs
• Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 1