Remember That Big Phone Hacking Scandal?
Murdoch has long held dominion over the British tabloid scene, and that hasn’t come without major controversy. Back in the mid-to-late 2010s, multiple investigations showed staff at the notorious newspaper News of the World were engaged in a large-scale phone hacking operation that included major political figures, celebrities, and even the British royal family.
One investigation showed staff hacked the phone of a murdered girl and there’s evidence the News of the World tried to hack victims of the 9/11 attacks. It led to the arrest and conviction of editor Clive Goodman, while James Murdoch, Rupert’s son, quit the organization after multiple lawsuits, payouts, and large-scale scrutiny.
The UK government and police launched their own investigations in 2011. The grand poobah Murdoch would eventually have to testify about all the spying where one protester tried to throw a pie at him. We may never know just how much money Murdoch’s company paid in settlement to those impacted, though Prince Harry recently said Prince William received a pretty handsome settlement.
If anything, News Corp’s involvement in the phone hacking scandal put new emphasis on digital privacy and security on mobile devices. You can thank Murdoch’s news empire for that much, I guess.
