HP to Pay $14.5 Million in Deal on Spying Case

Image courtesy of The attorney general alleges that company officials passed on information to private investigators -- who in turn passed it to other private investigators -- that allowed the personal phone records of several board members and journalists to be viewed. The investigators used a form of subterfuge, called pretexting, to obtain the private phone records by pretending to be someone else.

From the New York Times:

Hewlett-Packard said today that it would pay $14.5 million in a settlement with the California attorney general over the company’s use of private detectives to obtain phone records of board members and journalists.”

The attorney general alleges that company officials passed on information to private investigators — who in turn passed it to other private investigators — that allowed the personal phone records of several board members and journalists to be viewed. The investigators used a form of subterfuge, called pretexting, to obtain the private phone records by pretending to be someone else.

Whoops, that’s not legal! Tsk, tsk. Everyone, obviously, has pleaded not guilty. —MEGHANN MARCO

Hewlett to Pay $14.5 Million in Deal on Spying Case [New York Times]

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