Nice to see that HP has forgone a protracted court battle and settled a civil lawsuit filed in California over the company’s scandalous use of phone-records pretexting. Most of the $13.5 million settlement will be used to create a “Privacy and Piracy Fund” designed to help law officials enforce privacy and intellectual property rights.
While certainly a pittance for a behemoth like HP, the settlement and its attendant publicity should act as at least a minimum deterrent for other companies that might be tempted to use such tactics.
And, although this point received no press attention, a covenant buried deep inside the agreement prohibits HP from ever again spying on its employees, executives, directors or the press … upon threat of once again having its misdeeds chronicled in song. A word of warning to HP: Do not make me sing again.
