{
  "id": 18459128,
  "title": "Hospital gave very sick doctor a special PC for his personal, erm, pleasure",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/hospital-gave-very-sick-doctor-a-special-pc-for-his-personal-erm",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-06T06:31:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register Science",
    "slug": "the-register-science",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/11/06/hospital-gave-very-sick-doctor-a-special-pc-for-his-personal-erm-pleasure/5307750"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This week, a reader named Mason recounted his experience working as a tech support specialist at a hospital. One of the hospital's research labs belonged to a renowned organ transplant researcher who was also known for his excessive use of adult entertainment on his personal computer. Mason regularly cleaned up the malware on the doctor's computer, often multiple times a week, despite knowing that his actions violated workplace policies. The doctor's behavior was widely known, and Mason even brought it up to his boss every time he dealt with a fresh malware outbreak. However, despite the doctor's status within the hospital, management never took any disciplinary action.\n\nEventually, a cyber-worm infected the hospital, and during the cleanup process, Mason's colleagues discovered that the doctor's computer was the source of the infection. The doctor and Mason agreed that he would use a designated computer for his personal activities and only utilize office computers for work. Mason's boss, however, instructed him to provide the doctor with a PC from their e-waste pile for this purpose. Mason refused to comply, and he was eventually asked to leave the hospital.\n\nYears later, the doctor's graduate students filed a lawsuit against the hospital, with the former fun-time computer serving as evidence that the institution was aware of the doctor's behavior and failed to address it.",
  "summary": "Support chap told to either allow blatant policy violations or find a new job",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}