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Suppose I found a flash drive in a public library.

Am I legally allowed to claim possession of it?

Is it legal to look at the contents in order to determine the owner (which potentially contains sensitive information and / or malware)?

Must I return the found item to the owner (if determined)?

My Name
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    Of course you can't claim it is yours, it obviously isn't! -1. –  Jan 08 '17 at 02:23
  • What if the owner can't be determined? What should I do with it then? – My Name Jan 08 '17 at 02:28
  • That's not your concern, it's the police's or the librarians' job. Return lost property to the latter if possible, the former if not. –  Jan 08 '17 at 02:30
  • Thank you for your input. I will await further responses by others – My Name Jan 08 '17 at 02:53
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    Additionally, you do not know what the USB will do to your computer. Some virus can be installed through infected USBs. Some devices are designed to look like USB drives but when you put them in a PC they fry its internal electronics... – SJuan76 Jan 08 '17 at 17:32
  • If you just keep it, you have committed the tort of conversion, which is conversationally a variety of theft. If you hand it over to the library (or the police), you will avoid that charge. – user6726 Jan 09 '17 at 02:05
  • One possible action is to ignore it. In some countries, something that is within someone else's property (like in a library, on a train, in a taxi) is by definition not lost, and taking it is automatically theft. – gnasher729 Jan 09 '17 at 09:11

1 Answers1

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You must try to locate the true owner and take care of it until returned to its owner or prior possessor. You must return it to the owner (if/when found) immediately.

You may be allowed to claim possession when it will become an unclaimed property, which is eventually deemed abandoned property where the apparent owner has not claimed the property. Depending on the category of property, the recovery must be within as little as one year and as long as fifteen years. General personal property becomes abandoned five years after the date on which the owner’s right to recover the property arises.

You should not look at its content and leave an appointed person to do it.

As you found it in a Library you should return to an employee. If you want to be able to claim possession of it if the owner won't be find, you should ask him to take your name and contact details explaining the reason. However the library could be second (after the owner) in the line to claim it.

David
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