Reporters’ records accessed in HP probe
Two CNET News.com reporters’ personal telephone records were accessed by a contractor hired by Hewlett-Packard to uncover the source of boardroom leaks to the media, according to the California attorney general’s office.
The investigation conducted by a company hired by HP used a controversial technique called “pretexting” to obtain the personal phone records of CNET News.com reporters Dawn Kawamoto and Tom Krazit, state prosecutors said. Pretexting is a sometimes-illegal method of obtaining personal records through misrepresentation of someone’s identity.
Kawamoto and Krazit co-wrote a Jan. 23 article outlining a private, long-term strategy session held by HP’s board of directors.