The Seventh Circuit United States Appeals Court has ruled that
employees cannot unlawfully delete their computers before handing them back
to their employers. International Airport Centers (IAC) sued Jacob Citrin, a
former employee, after he returned a laptop whose contents had been erased with
a deletion program.
In a three to none decision the court said that Citrin violated the Computer
Fraud and Abuse Act by installing a secure delete program. In addition the court
said that Citrin effectively terminated his employment, not when he turned in
the laptop, but when he started doing personal business while still being
employed at IAC.