The news media phone hacking scandal is a controversy over illegal acquisition of confidential information by news media organizations that reportedly occurred in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia between 1995 and 2011. This article includes reference lists for various topics relating to that scandal.
These lists are organized according to the topics shown below in blue type.
By 2002, the practice of publications using private investigators to acquire confidential information was widespread,[1] with some individuals using illegal methods.[2][3] Victims of these illegal methods included celebrities,[4] politicians,[5] law enforcement officials,[5] solicitors,[5] and ordinary citizens.[6] As this illegal activity became apparent, arrests were made[7][8] and some convictions achieved.[7][9] Upon learning their privacy had been violated, some victims retained solicitors and filed suit against news media companies and their agents,[10] in some cases receiving financial payments for violation of privacy.[11] Successful suits and publicity from investigative news articles[12] led to further disclosures, including the names of more victims,[6] more documentary evidence of wrongdoing,[13] admissions of wrongdoing,[14] and potentially related payments.[15] Allegations were made of poor judgement[16] and cover up by news media executives[17][18] and law enforcement officials.[19] As a result, new investigations were initiated[20] and several senior executives and police officials resigned.[21][22] There were also significant commercial consequences of the scandal.[23][24]
Individuals included on these lists are reportedly involved as victims, perpetrators, investigators, solicitors, or responsible oversight officials in the phone hacking scandal. Illegal acquisition of information was allegedly accomplished by accessing private voicemail accounts, hacking into computers, making false statements to officials to obtain confidential information, entrapment,[25][26] blackmail,[27] burglaries,[28] theft of mobile phones[29] and making payments to officials in exchange for confidential information. The kind of information acquired illegally may have include private communication, physical location of individuals, bank account records, medical records, phone bills, tax files, and organizational strategies.[30]
There is evidence that illegal acquisition of confidential information continued at least into 2010.[31][32] Solicitors representing victims were targeted for surveillance by news organizations being sued as recently as 2011.[33]
For narrative regarding the background and status of this scandal, see also:
For narrative on some of the individuals included on the list of victims below, see their Wikipedia pages and:
These are lists of individuals who were targeted for surveillance beyond simple phone hacking by news media organizations. Some were targeted simply to acquire information for developing a story but others were vocal critics of news media companies and may have been targeted to obtain information with which to influence criminal investigations, civil suits, and Parliamentary hearings.
This list includes a serving police officer, two solicitors with clients suing News International, and a Member of Parliament. Dates in parentheses indicate the approximate date that surveillance was initiated.
In November 2011, Channel 4 News disclosed a list of 153 people upon whom private investigator Derek Webb was reportedly asked by the News of the World to carry out surveillance between 2003 and 2011. Listed below are celebrities, politicians and other public figures. Excluded from the list are those who seem to be ordinary members of the public.[43]
This is an alphabetical list of solicitors involved in the phone hacking scandal.
The list of alleged victims of phone hacking includes some solicitors. The Law Society noted that it would be a serious offence if this hacking was done with the intention of affecting judicial outcomes.[44]
In 2011 a group was formed for the Claimant's solicitors. In addition to Harris and Lewis, several solicitors brought claims including Tamsin Allen, Mark Thomson and Gerald Shamash. Allen was the Claimant Group's first co-ordinator, Thomson took over after Allen settled her claims. There were several other solicitors involved in the group, including Mark Stephens.
This is a list of newspapers and magazines listed in the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) report of May 2006 titled What Price Privacy?. The publications are listed in order of the number of pieces of data each paid a private investigator for.
This report presented what had been learned from the ICO investigation named Operation Motorman, which was begun in 2002.[1] "Information Commissioner Richard Thomas ... revealed that hundreds of journalists may have illegally bought private information and named a list of newspapers and magazines using one particular information agency... Numerous invoices [were found] addressed to newspapers and magazines which detailed prices for providing the journalists with personal information ... Here is the table listing the [name of the publication] followed by number of pieces of data paid for and the number of journalists involved."[55]
This is a chronological list of individuals that acknowledged acquiring confidential information illegally themselves or, from first-hand experience, alleged the practice was widespread by news media companies. Dates in parentheses indicates approximately when each individual made the admission.
As of 15 December 2010, The Guardian reported that more than 20 journalists who worked for News of the World had told The Guardian, The New York Times or Channel 4's Dispatches that "illegal activity assisted by private investigators was commonplace and well known to executives, including Andy Coulson."[58] Coulson has denied having knowledge of phone hacking while he was editor at News of the World.
This is an alphabetical list of individuals who at various times worked for both News International and the Metropolitan Police Service.
For narrative regarding some of the investigations on this list, see also articles for specific Metropolitan Police operations and:
On 6 March 2012, Reuters reported that two senior journalists working for The Sun, a newspaper owned by News International, appeared to have attempted suicide in the face of ongoing investigations relating to the phone hacking scandal. At that time, eleven current and former staff members of The Sun had been arrested on suspicion of bribing police or civil servants for information.[80]
For additional narrative regarding some of the arrests on this list, see also:
[Goodman] admitted intercepting the voicemail of three members of the royal household.
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