Deutsche Telekom spying probe kicks off with a bang

Make no mistake about it, the brewing spying scandal at Deutsche Telekom has the potential to spin well beyond the scope of Hewlett-Packard’s own espionage saga of just two years ago that saw H-P’s board chair and a gaggle of top execs get canned for an eerily similar faux pas.

German prosecutors yesterday said they’d opened an investigation into DT’s possible violation of German privacy laws in relation to allegations the telco—the largest in Europe—monitored telephone records of board members, executives and even some shareholders in an attempt to stop leaks to the media. DT already says it has launched an internal investigation and admitted that "there were cases of misuse of call records at Deutsche Telekom in 2005 and, according to latest allegations, also in 2006."

DT’s former CEO is among those being investigated.

For more:
- See the International Herald Tribune story