Should the information stored on the laptop be free for this guy to use as he saw fit? Or was this a huge invasion of privacy?
So here is the thing about when you "wipe" a hard drive. The data is still on the drive and can be recovered with the right software tool. The typical "wipe" only destroys the directory structure and makes most operating systems treat the drive as unformatted. A case could be made that just because a person disposes of the physical medium, the personal information recovered still belongs to the original owner. Just because you have my social security number doesn't give you ownership or any right to use it, regardless of how you came into its posession. Wonder how the legal system will play out on this one?
Certainly an invasion of privacy in any ethical sense. Legally, that's for lawyers, judges, and juries to decide. I would hope the law would protect someone's privacy in a case like this. IE even if the laptop was indeed abandoned, the new owner could wipe its hard drive and sell it, but not share the contents publicly. Not familiar with the applicable law in this case, so we'll see.