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Hewlett-Packard's Dunn Regrets Leak Probe

It is not uncommon for companies to monitor the phones and computers of their employees. Indeed, in the wired age, most employees don't realise how much privacy they sacrifice. But pretexting goes a step beyond. The investigators use your ID—typically, the last four digits of your Social Security number—to obtain your phone records from unwitting phone companies. Hewlett-Packard chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who agreed to step down amid concerns over the legality of an investigation she authorised, told employees the scandal caused her and the company 'major distress and embarrassment.'

"I wish this had never happened,'' Dunn, who will remain a director after leaving the post of chairwoman in January, said in a video message yesterday. "I speak from my heart when I say this situation is the last thing I ever wished for, intended or expected."

Last week California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said he has decided a crime was committed, though he hasn't concluded by whom. Bill Lockyer later confirmed that he has enough evidence to indict Hewlett-Packard officials and contractors over the methods they used to gain access as part of the investigation.

HP's stock, meanwhile, remained immune to the spying scandal. It continued a steady climb that began not long after the company revealed the questionable tactics of its leak investigation in a regulatory filing last week.
Shares of HP rose 56 cents, or 1.54 percent, to close at USD 36.92 on the New York Stock Exchange. Before Tuesday, they had traded in a 52-week range of USD 25.53 to USD 36.73.

Frank Gillett, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, said the market seems unfazed by the problems on HP's board.


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