If one purchases a working used computer and finds personal information or pictures on the hard drive what are the legal responsibilities of the purchaser?
2007-01-27 09:17:43 · 3 answers · asked by Nate 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I don't know about the legal side of it but morally it would be best to delete the information and make sure that the information is never used.
2007-01-27 09:23:23 · answer #1 · answered by antidisestablishmentarianism 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
None, other than certainly you cannot legally take account numbers and use them to make purchases, that would be fraud. Pictures are considered copyrighted even if not so marked, so you could not sell any pictures the seller left on the hard drive. IF he sold you the computer as is, just format the hard drive! It will all disappear.
2007-01-27 10:21:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Legally, I wouldn't think you're under any obligation to actively do anything. However, you will most likely get into trouble if you attempt to use the information.
Best course of action is to attempt to contact the original owner to alert them of their carelessness, hoping they'll be more observant in the future, and then delete the stuff from your machine.
2007-01-27 09:41:18 · answer #3 · answered by ksod_bartman 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋