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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/KaitouStarlight on 2024-01-27 07:29:28.
First post here, so apologies for any mistakes. This is not my story, but rather a relative's.
She's a teacher, and it was the end of a semester, so she had to turn in some reports to her head of department. For some reason, the head of department guy (let's call him H) wanted the reports to be turned in by submitting an USB to his desk. "Security reasons" he said. Well, she used a Macbook for work, and it doesn't have any USB ports, so it's really inconvenient for her to transfer files via USB. Still, H insisted her to bring an USB containing the relevant files and reports to his office.
So, she brought her Macbook and an USB to his office. She showed him the lack of USB ports on her device. "It would be easier if I just email you the files, since I cannot plug an USB into my laptop," she told him. Yet H still insisted, "Sending files via email isn't secure enough, can't you find a way to get your files on the USB?"
Cue malicious compliance. "Okay, let me borrow your computer, H." He lent her his device, which has USB ports. She emailed the file to him, downloaded the file to his device, plugged her USB in, then put the file into her USB. "Here's your USB with the report, sir," she said after working silently for a while. Why try to explain when he refused to listen and you can just prove your point with action, right?
H got the USB, plugged it into his computer, and then realized what she borrowed his computer for. "You might as well just send me the file, why go through the loop?" He asked her, to which she replied, perfectly serious. "You told me to get my reports in the USB. So I did."
Anyways, after that incident, another teacher (who had a similar name to my relative's and H kept mixing up the two teachers) submitted her reports, and the poor lady got an earful on how to properly use an USB to transfer files, blah blah. H was salty but couldn't say anything because, well, she was just following his instructions :).