South Wales Argus phone hacking scoop in 1999

The South Wales Argus had an exclusive on how phone messages could be hacked in 1999.

It was alerted by Steven Nott, a Cwmbran sales manager, who told the paper he was horrified to discover that "anyone can access his answer phone service and listen to his private messages."

He explained: "The Vodafone network went down because of a technical fault. I had some important messages coming in, so I rang Vodafone to access them. I was asked by an operator if I had programmed a PIN number into my answer service. When I said I hadn't, I was told it didn't matter, that I all I had to do was key in the default number.

"I followed the instructions and was able to hear my messages. It was easy and had taken just seconds. Afterwards I thought that anyone with my phone number could get into my messages just as easily as I had."

The Argus added: "The angry marketing man even contacted the British Intelligence Service MI5. He said: 'Vodafone has millions of users, and many of them will be MPs and High ranking government officials, people with highly sensitive information at their fingertips'."

The Argus said it put Nott's claims to the test and by following his instructions was able to access a Vodafone user's personal message service. It added: "It proved the point. Anyone can do it."

Nott has kept the article and posted it on his website: Hackergate. He says "the article was run 10 months after I was aware of the problem and was my last resort. Thankfully, the Argus, helped."

• Nott also says that he took the story to both the Daily Mirror and Sun in 1999 but after showing initial enthusiasm neither ran with it. He writes on Hackergate: " It didn't take me long to realise 'What had I done ?' I couldn't believe I was so stupid to tell a National newspaper how to get hot news for free just by hacking into someones phone".

Via Steven Nott on Twitter

Hacked Off inquiry campaign kicks off today

Hacked Off - the campaign for a full public inquiry into phone hacking - launches today as the News of the World is engulfed in allegations that the phones of relatives of the victims of the July 7 London bombings were hacked as well as those of Milly Dowler and the parents of Soham murder victims Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Lord Fowler, Lord Cunningham, Chris Bryant MP, lawyer Mark Lewis, Adrian Sanders MP, Professor Brian Cathcart, and the Media Standards Trust's Martin Moore will officially launch the campaign at the House of Lords.

Supporters of the campaign already include: Francis Wheen, Tom Watson MP, Dr Ben Goldacre, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Sir David Bell, Roy Greenslade, Professor Ian Hargreaves, John Lloyd, Isabel Hilton, Ian Jack, John Pilger, Andreas Whittam Smith, Neal Ascherson, Professor Chris Frost, Polly Toynbee and Kevin Marsh.

The campaign is calling for a full public inquiry into phone hacking and other forms of illegal intrusion by the press. It says the inquiry should cover:

• The extent of the use of illegal information-gathering methods by the press, directly and through intermediaries;

• The conduct of the Metropolitan Police Service in investigating these matters, and its relations with the press;

• The communication between press and politicians in relation to these matters;

• The conduct of the Press Complaints Commission and of the Information Commissioner, and of other relevant parties such as mobile telephone companies;

• The lessons to be learned from these events and actions to be taken to ensure they are not repeated.

Hacked Off has a petition at www.hackinginquiry.org.

The NUJ has backed the call for a public inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said: “The NUJ has repeatedly called for a public inquiry into the systemic problem of phone hacking at the News of the World. This can no longer be brushed aside as the actions of a couple of rogue reporters.

"The latest sickening revelations happened under the hands-on leadership of key senior figures in Rupert Murdoch’s News International. It is simply unbelievable that they were unaware of the existence and the scale of this abuse.

"Rebekah Brooks may claim it is 'inconceivable' that she was aware of the depths her paper was prepared to plummet to – it is frankly inconceivable that she was not aware of the systemic reliance on hacking as a source of information for the stories in the paper she edited.

“The latest allegations lay bare a moral and ethical abyss at the heart of Murdoch’s operation at the News of the World. It is imperative that a public inquiry takes place, one that involves scrutinising the actions of executives at the title at the highest level. It is vital that the inquiry also examines the broader issue of press regulation in the UK."

The NUJ is demanding the government halt any decision on the future of BSkyB until a public inquiry into the conduct of "Murdoch’s key lieutenants at the News of the World.”

• MPs are to hold an emergency debate on phone hacking today.
• Information Commissioner Christopher Graham suggested on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning that a custodial sentence should be introduced for those who are found guilty of "blagging" [obtaining] phone numbers illegally, rather than the maximum £5,000 fine currently imposed for the offence.
  
• Northern Echo editor Peter Barron has called on the public to boycott the NoW over the phone hacking scandal, HoldtheFrontPage reports.
  

NI 'regret' over News of the World phone-hacking

News International has issued a statement on phone-hacking, stating that voicemail interception at the News of the World is a "matter of genuine regret" and admitting that internal inquiries into the affair were "not sufficently robust".

The statement says: "Following an extensive internal investigation and disclosures through civil legal cases, News International has decided to approach some civil litigants with an unreserved apology and an admission of liability in cases meeting specific criteria.

"We have also asked our lawyers to establish a compensation scheme with a view to dealing with justifiable claims fairly and efficiently.

"This will begin the process of bringing these cases to a fair resolution with damages appropriate to the extent of the intrusion.

"We will, however, continue to contest cases that we believe are without merit or where we are not responsible.

"That said, past behaviour at the News of the World in relation to voicemail interception is a matter of genuine regret. It is now apparent that our previous inquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust.

"We continue to co-operate fully with the Metropolitan Police. It was our discovery and voluntary disclosure of this evidence in January that led to the re-opening of the police investigation.

"With that investigation on going, we cannot comment further until its completion.

"News International's commitment to our readers and pride in our award-winning journalism remains undiminished.

"We will continue to engage with and challenge those who attempt to restrict our industry's freedom to undertake responsible investigative reporting in the public interest."

• Commenting on the News International admission of phone hacking at the News of the World, NUJ general scretary Jeremy Dear said: "Now that this admission has finally been made, the need for a high level judicial inquiry into behaviour at News International is more urgent than ever. It is vital that this whole matter is brought out into the open and not hushed up through some in-house compensation scheme.

  "The public interest demands that standards at News International, which is spreading like a rash across the whole media world, must be fully examined and exposed."

Panorama to expose the 'dark arts' of journalists

Panorama says it will tonight expose the full extent of the "dark arts" employed by journalists across the industry to get their story, in a programme called: Tabloid Hacks Exposed.

It says the programme, broadcast on BBC 1 at 8:30 reveals a dishonourable history of law breaking that went beyond phone hacking and questions the police inaction that let it continue.

Panorama claims a senior News of the World executive obtained e-mails hacked into by a private detective. it says Irish edition editor Alex Marunchak was sent ex-British intelligence officer Ian Hurst's private e-mails in 2006. Marunchak denied Panorama's allegations.

The News of the World has told Panorama: "To date, Panorama has provided us with no evidence of wrong doing in relation to the private detectives featured in your programme. Moreover, the Crown Prosecution Service found no evidence that the reporters involved were aware those sources were acquiring material by corrupt means.

"Unlike some of our critics, the News of the World secures proof of wrongdoing before making serious allegations. As demonstrated by recent events, we will not tolerate misconduct by staff and will act decisively when presented with new evidence."