HP’s Dunn won’t quit
p2pnet.net News:- Hewlett-Packard chairwoman Patricia Dunn says she’s not quitting despite the fact the company hired private investigators to hack reporters’ phone records.
“The investigators got the records by impersonating journalists from the Wall Street Journal, CNET.com and other news organizations,” HP admitted, according to MSNBC.
“Incensed by media stories that quoted unidentified people about information shared during HP board meetings, Dunn authorized an investigation this year to determine whether any of the company’s directors were talking out of turn,” says the Associated Press, going on:
“Dunn’s crusade spawned a ruse to obtain the personal phone records of HP directors and at least nine reporters.”
When the results came back, “the directors asked board member George Keyworth to resign,” says AP. “He refused” and venture capitalist Thomas Perkins, “who had already resigned from the board in protest, blew the whistle on the method used to finger Keyworth,” continues the story.
“HP’s private investigators obtained the phone records by contacting phone companies and pretending to be the directors themselves.”
It’s called ‘pretexting’ and, “Astoundingly,” HP’s legal team, including well-known Silicon Valley lawyer Larry Sonsini, “saw no problem with obtaining sensitive personal records under false pretenses,” states AP, adding:
“The Federal Trade Commission’s position on these methods, articulated in February, is clear: ‘Pretexting is against the law.’ Specifically, legal experts say, it’s against federal and state laws on deceptive trade practices, identity theft and, potentially, computer crime.”
Also See:
impersonating journalists – HP raided journo phone records, September 8, 2006
Associated Press – HP chairwoman won’t quit, September 9, 2006
The Register – BT and Virgin announce broadcast TV over DAB, September 8, 2006
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September 9th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
if bush ca do it without court authorization, why not me?