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News of the World accused of paying police to track stars' phones(Guardian Web Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Senior journalists at the News of the World paid police officers to find celebrities or other people they wanted to write about by tracking their mobile phone signal, it was reported today. The technique, which was know as "pinging" in the paper's newsroom, pinpoints handsets by using mobile phone masts to measure the strength of their signal, according to the New York Times. Its use can only be authorised by the police and security forces on a case-by-case basis, the paper said, quoting an anonymous senior Scotland Yard source. The source said it could have been carried out on behalf of the paper by a senior officer or a more junior officer who persuaded a higher-ranking colleague to carry out the search on their behalf. He said it would have constituted a "massive breach" of security. The New York Times said Sean Hoare, a former reporter at the News of the World, had established the location of a contact in Scotland by using the technique. Hoare said to the Guardian on Tuesday he had obtained the information through from Greg Miskiw, a former news editor ahead of a trip to Scotland. "If you were told to find someone you could go to the news desk, who would give Greg a piece of paper. Greg would sort it. It would cost £300," he said. Hoare added "Within 15 minutes or half an hour he'd come back and wack it on the table and say: 'there you go'. He said that he didn't know exactly how the information was obtained by he suspected it was from police officers. The New York Times quoted another unnamed former News of the World reporter who told it: "I knew it could be done and that it was done". The technique monitors the strength of the signal sent by a mobile phone to three masts to ascertain the location of its owner within years and is generally only used in terrorist cases or serious criminal investigations. The second NoW reporter told the paper that targets were also tracked by hacking into their credit cards and finding out where they were last used. The second source said that technique helped the News of the World find Princess Diana's former lover James Hewitt when he left Britain for Spain in the wake of a controversy over a book he wrote about their relationship. News International declined to comment. Greg Miskiw did not return a call seeking comment. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian onTwitterandFacebook. (c) 2011 Guardian Newspapers Limited. |