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News Corp. Pays Out For Voicemail Hacking Victims
New submitter SandmanWAIX sends this excerpt from ABC.net.au: "Rupert Murdoch's media empire has made huge payouts to 37 phone-hacking victims, including actor Jude Law, singer Danii Minogue, and former British deputy prime minister John Prescott, their lawyers said. ... The company has set up a multi-million-pound compensation scheme for victims of phone hacking in a bid to avoid further costly civil lawsuits. ... It has also made a payout of 2 million pounds to the family of murdered British schoolgirl Milly Dowler, while Mr. Murdoch made a personal donation of 1 million pounds to charities chosen by her family.'"
Not good enough. He deserves to be in jail along with his son. He shouldn't be allowed to buy his way out.
There is an equiry going on in the UK discussing this and other issues, but the answer is simple: people need to go to jail. Not only is there evidence of illegal activity (accing voicemails and emails), but now it looks like there is evidence of perjury (lying to the enquiry).
There is also evidence of obstruction (destruction of computers). It's quite clear that the illegal activity is at the highest levels of News Corp. People at the highest levels need to go to jail. Paying out this amount of money means nothing to billionaires.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
Huge!
Watch this Heartland Institute video
The rest needs to be resolved by severe criminal penalties, jail time and the requirement that the Murdoch empire be broken up. News Corp should also lose all of its broadcast licenses world-wide.
This so-called compensation fund doesn't even figure as pocket change to News Corp. Murdoch is a multi billionnaire ($7.6bn at FYE 2011 according to Forbes). That's his /cash/ worth, not counting his liquable assets. If he gave a Dollar out of his own pocket to every man, woman and child on Earth he would STILL BE A BILLIONNAIRE.
This is in the same league as Microsoft "complying" with compensation orders from the courts in the US by issuing *vouchers for discounts on its own software*.
The consumer is still getting bent over and dryfucked, but legally.
Operation Guillotine is in effect.
I'd have a much higher opinion of my fellow vigilantes if instead of launching DDOS attacks against sites that the public never visit* they obtained incriminating evidence against their targets. They are supposed to be hackers, aren't they? Why aren't I hearing about leaked emails detailing how Murdoch himself knew about these crimes or how the *AA have been screwing over the people they claim to represent?
*Bringing down the RIAA site seems completely pointless when Joe Public would never see it anyway.
We only hear about this phone hacking scandal happening in Britain, but why not anywhere else? It's at least imaginable that other News Corp operations were going by the same playbook. Or that if it was so technically easy that even News Corp reporters could do it, couldn't something similar have been done by someone else in other countries, but we just don't know about it yet?
Murdoch: Baww people are stealing my IP!!!
The people: What about the "IP" you stole from those peoples voice mail? Shouldn't you be jailed for that longer than a few anons who ran LOIC and got a year in the fed pen?
Murdoch: Uh, no. *buys way out of trouble*
I think it would be awesome if some of his victims came after him using IP laws, and try to get the same conspiracy laws applied to him that are being thrown at the megaupload crowd right now.
Now, take the Murdochs and the rest of the officers of the company, put em in prison for life after taking away all of their money. Also take all money from the corporation as well. Disperse it in equal parts to the people of the country the corporation is registered in.
Bleed em dry, let em rot in prison for life.
Yes, because that type of action by governments has always worked out so well in the past. It's truly astounding how those "slippery slopes" apparently only go in one direction in your mind.
One of the points mentioned in the news coverage over here was that John Prescott had high security clearance in his position as deputy prime minister, so the "hackers" could have gained access to significant secrets. Am I the only one that finds this worrying? Why was The Right Honourable Bumbling Hypocrite of Hull given any access to supposedly secure information when he wasn't even capable of setting a pin on his voicemail?! Why would anyone else leave such information in voicemail anyway? I'm hoping this is just Prescott's camp trying to big up him and the charges against Murdoch rather than a sign of how shite our intelligence services are...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9kFHQpZpgdg
It's truly astounding how those "slippery slopes" apparently only go in one direction in your mind.
The world would be a better place without the Murdoch media empire. I'm for risking the slippery slope long enough to put that box of snakes out of business.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
Newscorp has hired many presidential candidates and former GOP congressmen. They've donated millions to republican causes. It won't get investigated in the US.
And publicly admitting guilt. One thing about corporate out of court settlements is the "no admission of guilt" they get the victims to sign. No, for once I want to see a corporation that settles admit their wrong.
This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
I beg your pardon, feces form the base of fertilizing thousands of fields around the world!!! Shit serves a useful purpose. I challenge you to find a single useful purpose for Mr. Murdoch! Now if you were to plow his sorry ass into a rice paddy, then I would wholeheartedly agree on calling him shit.
I wish people would get this riled up when people in government did the very same thing. It's too bad we don't hold up individuals in public positions to the same moral standards as individuals in private positions.
Be careful, that's the way it starts. As culture evolves, one group after another becomes the target, and you don't undo the prejudice against previous targets, you just add to it.
That's why it's called a slippery slope. First, it's hard to get back up it. Second, once you get moving it's hard to slow down.
We have laws in place for these things, they should be applied in this case. That's what civilized people do.
Yes, because that type of action by governments has always worked out so well in the past.
What's the gov't have to do with this? This is society and righteous indignation, kind of like Atticus Finch shooting a rabid dog. That's a perfectly acceptable thing for a gov't to be doing.
"News Corp., that is unacceptable behaviour. Eat lead."
"Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit
It's truly astounding how those "slippery slopes" apparently only go in one direction in your mind.
I'm for risking the slippery slope long enough to put that box of snakes out of business.
Well I'm not. There is no "long enough" as actions like this tend to continually grow. Who decides who deserves their property seized and are imprisoned anyhow?
The following quotation seems quite relevant:
First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
-Martin Niemoller
In all the talk about slippery slopes, can we please keep in mind we're talking about ongoing criminal activity here. This was pervasive, ongoing and sanctioned by the highest levels in management. All those laws about illegal access to computer networks and using bogus credentials to gain access to network services...a lot of those would apply to this case.
I'm not sure why thumping News Corp, or any other corporation, for criminal activity is any kind of slippery slope.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
Now, take the Murdochs and the rest of the officers of the company, put em in prison for life after taking away all of their money. Also take all money from the corporation as well. Disperse it in equal parts to the people of the country the corporation is registered in. Bleed em dry, let em rot in prison for life.
I'm not sure why thumping News Corp, or any other corporation, for criminal activity is any kind of slippery slope.
Prosecuting someone for criminal activity to the fullest extent of the law is one thing. That is not at all what the original post I responded to was looking to do. Seizing the assets of an individual and/or corporation entirely and putting them in prison for life is a completely different matter. What was done was awful to say the least, however there are much worst crimes committed everyday that don't have maximum penalties even close to what the original post is looking for. If some unknown person was caught committing a similar crime I'd be surprised if they would get 10 years in prison.
Yes, because that type of action by governments has always worked out so well in the past.
What's the gov't have to do with this? This is society and righteous indignation, kind of like Atticus Finch shooting a rabid dog. That's a perfectly acceptable thing for a gov't to be doing.
"News Corp., that is unacceptable behaviour. Eat lead."
Apparently we have much different ideas of what "society" is.
Apparently we have much different ideas of what "society" is.
Apparently. I believe rabinous dogs should be put out of their misery (shot on sight). Are you suggesting the rabies virus should be left alone with its right to exist as just yet another living entity?
News Corp./Murdochs are doing bad stuff. They're not acting like a news provider I'd like to support, if they're hacking into dead children's cell-phones just to sell more newspapers. I think Rupert has displayed an egregious lack of morality/civility, over the course of years if not decades, just to make cash. I'm a libertarian capitalist, and that kind of behaviour offends me, to the bone!
You disagree?
"Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit
Rebekkah Wade got 2 million pounds in a 'severance package' from NewsCorp. Source: PrivateEye (Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2015435/Rebekah-Brooks-resigns-line-3-5m-payout-News-International.html has it as 3.5Million...).
"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
Stop with the anti-government paranoia. There are worse things than governments, and the Murdoch empire os one of them.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
So you're equating the Murdoch empire with a repressed minority being liquidated by an evil fascist government? You need a reality check.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Apparently we have much different ideas of what "society" is.
Apparently. I believe rabinous dogs should be put out of their misery (shot on sight). Are you suggesting the rabies virus should be left alone with its right to exist as just yet another living entity?
WTF does a rabid canine have to do with this? That's an insane leap of logic. It makes about as much sense as me saying someone who doesn't agree with my point of view is like a cow with mad cow disease. They both must be shot on site. You wouldn't serve an infected steak to your family would you?
News Corp./Murdochs are doing bad stuff. They're not acting like a news provider I'd like to support, if they're hacking into dead children's cell-phones just to sell more newspapers.
I agree, they are not acting like a company I'd like to support either. That means I don't support them by... Not purchasing their products. It doesn't mean that they should be shot on site, or be stripped of all worldly possessions and imprisoned for life. I find what they did appalling. I find what you are suggesting full-on-bat-shit-crazy. It still doesn't make me feel that you should be shot. I simply do not agree with you.
I think Rupert has displayed an egregious lack of morality/civility, over the course of years if not decades, just to make cash. I'm a libertarian capitalist, and that kind of behaviour offends me, to the bone!
You disagree?
I find what has been done in this case to be disgusting, and am offended to the bone as well. It still does not make me wish to suspend my civility or my morality. However I find murderers, rapists, and child molesters to be much more deserving of the actions you suggest than anyone involved in this case. Should everyone involved in this be punished? You bet your ass. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Am I willing to take civilization back to the dark ages? Hell no.
WTF does a rabid canine have to do with this?
I believe that was a reply relating to the scene in "To Kill a Mockingbird" where Atticus shoots a rabid dog walking down the street.
Perhaps it was a bit of a non sequitur. I have a bad habit of speaking/writing metaphorically, and lots of people (like yourself) take it literally. I can be pretty good at insane leaps of logic. :-(
My mistake. I don't really have a vigilante bone in my body and certainly am not advocating the Murdochs be hunted down like rabid dogs. I'd be satisfied seeing them pushing a shopping cart containing the last of their worldly possessions.
"Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit
No worries, I've been known to do the same. That's one of the unfortunate things about /. and the internet in general. It's very difficult to show implied emotion/meaning in type. It makes it even harder when a thread can go on for hours or days in what would amount to a 30 second conversation.
To Kill a Mockingbird was a great book(and a decent movie) by the way. Atticus was one hell of a character for all fathers to aspire to be.
To Kill a Mockingbird was a great book(and a decent movie) by the way.
If you never have, I strongly recommend reading the Wikipedia article.
I think I've read and re-read that book more than any other. Why Harper Lee didn't write more astonishes me. Perhaps she just knew there was no way to top it. Quit while you're ahead, I guess.
"Tongue tied and twisted, just an Earth bound misfit