HP probe raises queries about telcos privacy policies

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

The probe recently carried out by Hewlett-Packard Co. into its own board members in the U.S. has raised concerns in Canada about how telecommunication service providers protect customers’ private information.

California state Attorney General Bill Lockyer had earlier stated that HP violated state laws relating to identity theft and illegal access to computer records in connection with the company's efforts to determine the source of anonymously leaked company information to journalists.

The firm’s techniques involved hiring a private investigation firm whose agents impersonated HP officials and journalists. The agents tricked AT&T and other phone companies into releasing detailed records of home phone and cellular phone calls of the impersonated individuals.

"The need to protect intellectual property or company information should not trump privacy and human rights," according to David Fewer counsel for the Ottawa-based Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC).

Another lawyer was amazed that investigators hired by HP were able to access detailed phone logs from both landline and wireless service providers.

"What surprised me is they were able to trick the phone companies into releasing their records," said Barbara McIsaac, a senior member with the Ottawa litigation team of law firm McCarthy and Tetrault LLP.

McIsaac, however, noted that at the moment HP's precise involvement is not known. "There is still the question of whether HP actually authorized or condoned [the probe] or the agents went on a frolic of their own."

A Canadian IT industry analyst slammed AT&T and other phone companies for failing to protect customer records. "Identity theft is the real issue at play here," according to Ross Amrstrong, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group Inc. in London, Ont.

Armstrong said AT&T and the other service providers "should have had stringent security policies and training for customer relations staff that was tough enough to deter any coercive action by the impostors."