UK royals’ phones hacked
p2pnet.net News:- Literary and technical hackers apparently joined forces to ferret out mobile messages to Britain’s royal family, among others.
The News of the World is infamous for publishing embarassing, and scurrilous, material. Now the newspapaper’s ‘royals’ hack and another man have been bailed to appear in court on August 16 for allegedly accessing voicemail, and with conspiring to intercept communications.
“Complaints by staff at Clarence House, the official residence to the Prince of Wales, prompted the investigation and led to the arrests,” says the BBC.
Anti-terrorist police are also examining, “dozens of other mobile telephone numbers, including those belonging to a senior government minister and several celebrities,” says The Independent.
“Clive Goodman, 48, the News of the World’s royal editor, was charged on one count of conspiring to intercept voicemail messages on or before 8 August this year, and eight counts of intercepting messages between January and May this year. He was jointly charged with Glen Mulcaire, 35, of Sutton, south London.”
Ex-ITV royal correspondent Tom Bradby claimed the paper printed details of a meeting he’d arranged with Prince William before it took place, says The Mirror, adding:
“When they met, William decided ‘it must be something like breaking into mobile messages’.
“Royal aides told police and ‘what they discovered alarmed them enough to hand it to anti-terrorist police IT specialists’.”
At least one cabinet minister, “but not the Prime Minister,” is understood to have been among alleged victims, “along with high-profile celebrities, top footballers and other senior politicians,” says The Independent, adding:
“Police are also checking the mobile phone of Max Clifford, the publicity consultant.
“It is relatively simple to hack into someone’s mobile telephone message service by simply calling up their voicemail and using what is called a ‘default’ code. Unless the phone owner installs their own code, the handset will release voicemail messages when someone uses a well-known four digit number – the automatic default option. Most people do not bother to use a code, or are unaware that they need one.”
====================================
UPDATE: The News of the World has now suspended Goodman, reports the Beeb.
(Thanks again, Andrew)
Also See:
BBC – Two charged in ‘phone-tap’ probe, August 9, 2006
The Independent – Reporter charged with phone-tapping as police investigate Royal Household claims, August 11, 2006
The Mirror – Hunt in tapping widened, August 810 2006
p2pnet newsfeeds for your site.
rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss
Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
