Signed unanimously this past Friday, the Senate has passed a bill making it illegal to use pretexting to obtain phone records via the heretofore commonly used investigative tactic. The heat and been rising on this issue for more than a year, with many states taking the lead with their own laws forbidding the practice. The recent shenanigans at Hewlett Packard saw things boil over, scalding several executives careers in the process.

Provided President Bush finds time to sign the bill into law, pretexting violations will now result in fines and potential jailtime for offenders. Further details, via InformationWeek.

-- MDT

Labels: HP, pretexting