As the phone hacking scandal rumbles on
and the circle of deception continues to spiral upwards and outwards, serious questions
are being raised about the
Sean Hoare, former News of the World journalist, has alleged
that the newspaper paid police to track mobile phones and claimed that it was
possible to "ping" a handset's location for £300.
There is certainly no firm evidence to support the accusation, but
if it were true it would undermine safeguards within the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act. Under which, a
handful of officers have the authority to ask mobile networks to determine the
location of a phone, based on information from nearby radio masts. Each request is supposed to be approved by a
senior colleague. These sorts of checks
are written into the law to prevent it from being abused.
The system is regulated and audited by the Interception of
Communications Commissioner, Sir Paul Kennedy.
Who in his most recent report discovered, found in 10% of cases where
law enforcement bodies sought communications information, there was poor
compliance with the rules.
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