News of the World accused of hacking murdered schoolgirls phone

[ParadigmShifter]

More evidence that the News of the World (Sunday's version of the Sun) and its owner Rupert Murdoch is the spawn of Satan:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14017661

This is just the latest in a line of phone hacking scandals.

If it turns out to be true, despicable.

 

[RedRalph]

Yeah, I saw this... frankly, whoever is responsible should be punished really, really harshly. This is beyond the pale.

 

[GinandTonic]

Celebs and minor ministers are one thing but this is way over any line.

 

[Mise]

Hopefully, if targeting politicians and celebrities was vaguely defensible on public interest grounds, the hacking and deletion of a missing 13 year girl's voicemail is enough to bankrupt this vile rag and its despicable owners.

 

[RedRalph]

It really is evil - how could there not be a voice in your head saying "don't do this, it is seriously wrong"?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Surely the voice in your head should have kicked in at the job interview...

 

[RedRalph]

Fair point

 

[jtb1127]

It's time to hack into someone's head...

 

[emzie]

Now that is classy.

 

[Defiant47]

Do we have a right to privacy once we are dead?

 

[jtb1127]

I guess not

 

[Joecoolyo]

I forgot who said this in the other hacking thread (might have been OP), but what's with all the hacking recently? I mean, seriously.

 

[bathsheba666]

How can the organisation that also owns Fox News be held in such contempt?

This is clearly biased.

 

[Arwon]

Do we really expect anything else from NewsCorp? There's not much I'd put past them.

 

[Silurian]

This is a DUCK HOUSE Moment.

As Hugh Grant has said that up to now the people have not been so concerned but now that ordinary people have been hacked the rules are likely to be tightened. And there should be a public enquire into British tabloid journalism.

He also said that Rebecca Wade was "like Hitler good person to judge the Nazi party" and that “Rebecca Wade the worst editor in the history of journalism or a liar.”

 

[Yeekim]

Uh... I read the article, but I honestly didn't quite understand what it was these guys did and why it was so nefarious...?

 

[Arakhor]

The scumbags at News of the World have found that you can recall a mobile phone's voicemail by endlessly re-entering the PIN until you hit the right one. Giving that it is alleged that the phone belonged to a murdered teenage schoolgirl, whilst she was missing, it doesn't take much to ascertain the complete moral failings of anyone who even knew about this, let alone if they sanctioned or even performed it.

 

[Silurian]

Milly Dowler was murdered.

The News of the World hacked her phone and deleted messages off it.

The police and her family would be given hope that she had just run away from home because of the messages were being deleted.

The Guardian has claimed private investigator Glenn Mulcaire intercepted messages left by relatives for 13-year-old Milly while she was missing in 2002, and that the NoW deleted some messages it had already listened to when the voicemail facility became full

This would have increased the distress to the family and also wasted police time.


Ms Wade e-mailed this to her staff today

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14033887

Edit

From the BBC
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...oeTaDQ&usg=AFQjCNHVOeUBW-QIopzozjDAJ0oIjQ21Iw

Hacked Off, a campaign supported by Lord Prescott, Conservative former Health Secretary Lord Fowler, Labour MP Chris Bryant, Liberal Democrat MP and the Dowlers' lawyer, Mark Lewis, has started an online petition calling for a full public inquiry.

Link to petition


http://hackinginquiry.org/

 

[GinandTonic]

Uh... I read the article, but I honestly didn't quite understand what it was these guys did and why it was so nefarious...?

The vast majority of people were unaware you could remotely access your voicemail account from a different phone. Thus most phones were set to the default pin since people didnt even know there was a pin. If there is a pin investigators with access to News International's files can find any try significant dates for the person etc.

So the News of the World started accessing peoples voicemail. Illegial to intercept communications. Since stories started coming out that celebs/ politicos knew could only come from a specific source a couple of personal assistants have been fired, couple of divorces, a few friendships ended etc.

The difference in this case is that the NotW was hacking Millie's phone to feed their "missing white girl" saturation coverage. When Millie's mailbox was full there were no new mails so no new stories. So the NotW deleted some to make room. As far as the police and the family someone collecting her voicemail was evidence she was still alive. Therefore a press conference with the police saying they had evidence she was alive and an appeal from the weeping mother etc. NotW ran that as their cover story and let the police chase a dead end. Not to mention letting the mother weep for nothing.

 

[Mise]

In addition, NotW secured exclusive interviews with the parents in which the parents talked about their continued hope that Millie would be found alive -- hope that NotW falsely stoked by hacking and deleting their daughter's voicemail.