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Hugh Grant asked to testify in News of the World hacking case
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Actor Hugh Grant tells the AP in London that police have asked him to testify in their case against News of the World, which is facing allegations that it hacked into the phones of various celebrities and even a murder victim.Grant has always maintained he believes News of the World hacked his phone's voicemail and has said that police showed him evidence of such. Back in April, Grant wrote a piece for The New Statesman where he details a sting where he wore a wire while speaking with a former reporter for the Rupert Murdoch-owned publication, Paul McMullan. McMullan reportedly admitted to the phone hacking in said conversation.
Recently, there has been outcry for resignation from Rebekah Brooks, who is the chief executive of U.K. operations for News of the World, but Brooks has not backed down and according to the BBC News, has the full support of Murdoch.
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Grant's piece in The New Statesman was the first I'd heard about the matter, and I must say that I was truly outraged. I know UK laws differ from our US ones, so I don't know whether nor not the actions taken by News of the World are not actionable or criminal, but they are certainly vile and disgusting. Are we to have no protections of our privacy in this digital age? Are all the details of our lives to be open to anyone who possesses the relevant technologies?
I find it horrifying enough that the police have the ability to listen to what's being said inside my house from several hundred feet away with their own handwritten warrants (i.e., without a judges' seal of approval). That the press or any single individual may do so without impunity is beyond contemptible. I sincerely hope that News of the World (and also the individuals responsible themselves) are both punished and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Politician, celebrity, or just the average person -- we all are entitled to privacy when not speaking to the world at large.
Facebook/Google/Cops downloading our phone data during traffic stops is all done by OUR GOVT..