HP spied on personal phone records of its Board of Directors

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14687677/site/newsweek/

Just some industry news. They really crossed the line, in my opinion. Spying on personal accounts (non business funded nor related) is pretty low and probably rather illegal.

Dont Hurt Me said:

So the company gets to check their piss, now their phone calls what cant the corporation do? We seem to be on a trend in the U.S. and thats letting companys do anything they want. Liberty & freedom are being taken away by the corporations with our govts help. Does someones privacy end when they get employed? Smells illegal to me, im sure the lawyers will love this one.

Click to expand...

If I was on the board, regardless if the "leaker" (no pun intended) or not... I would be greatly offended that the company I help run would distrust me and be spying on me with the consent of and at the request/direction of a high ranking company official. I agree that it sounds HIGHLY illegal and I think that those responsible should face criminal/civil penalities/fines/prison and be dismissed from the company permanently. I think those spied on should sue for every last penny they can. I'm not one to condone a lawsuit for any old reason but in this case someone's personal privacy was intentionally violated. I mean, come on. At what point does it become wrong? I'm sure it must be illegal, but aside from that point, I guess those involved in the spying had no regard for the targets of their espionage. These people aren't terrorists, they are just people working on a corporate board of directors. For goodness sake... lives were never at stake over the leaking that was going on. There are other less illegal and more respectful ways to find a leaker. Give each person info on special paper with a particular watermark (perhaps that shows up on copies, scans, etc.) - I don't know.. maybe even tell certain individuals slightly different information once in a while and see which version gets leaked. I'm not suggesting outright lying to them but perhaps adapt the spin on certain stories/plans to a certain extent and see if it narrows down who is responsible.

On the other hand, sometimes rumors just happen. People talk. I'm not saying its per say, right, to divulge information if you have signed a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) or something like that, but spying on their personal lives is out of the question.