Law firms linked to convicted private investigators
Twenty-two law firms used private investigators convicted of illegally obtaining information, MPs have said.
Celebrities, eight financial services firms and 10 insurance companies were also identified as clients of the private investigators by the Home Affairs Select Committee.
The four investigators concerned were given jail sentences last year.
The Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has refused to name the rogue operators' clients.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23512840
Secret list of firms that used private investigators should be published, say MPs.
MPs have intensified the pressure to publish a confidential list of companies that used private investigators suspected of hacking and other alleged unethical information-gathering practices.
The Commons home affairs committee revealed on Wednesday that law firms and insurance companies were among those on a list compiled by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) that has remained unpublished for several years.
The MPs are examining claims that companies other than newspaper owners used private investigators to hack and gain information about their business rivals.
For the first time, the committee gave a sector-by-sector breakdown of those firms or individuals on the Soca list. They include 21 law firms, nine in the insurance sector, one pharmaceutical company, four food service enterprises and an oil firm. In total 94 companies were listed.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/jul/31/soca-secret-list-companies-hacking
