Oh my! Did anyone else see what they did there?

By classing listening to someone else's stored voicemail *after the fact* as "interception", they raised the stakes for any type of access for voicemail or other stored communication, like email, web pages, etc. - even accidental access. Several times I have been in the presence of people that can't understand why other people's voicemail is in there system... and its because they entered the wrong phone number with the default password.

This access could now be prosecuted as illegal access even though it might be unintentional. What about that poor bloke from Blighty that's being extradited to the US for "hacking"? Could this now mean that he might now be classified as breaking UK law?

Would I be one to suggest that police forces up and down the country have yet to come to terms with the fact that transgression of RIPA is a CRIMINAL OFFENCE!?

Oh no sir, none of this "we'll have a listen even though we know we can't use it in evidence" of days gone by.

The cops don't want criminal prosecutions for what reason?!

Oh - isn't the EU already investigating the UK for inadequate protection of electronic communications???

My immediate reaction was one of anger - typical of the police to drop a case when there is politics involved.

However, it has to be said that it would be a major technical challenge to obtain any evidence that would stand up in court this far after the event. The cost of the process would be very high indeed and I think that the police personnel involved might be better utilised elsewhere.

I regret to say that I think on this occasion, I think they have made the right choice - it sucks that Murdoch's minions get away with a major breach of the law. Unfortunately, whilst people continue to buy the garbage that passes for news print, they will continue to justify their actions.

Do we petition Downing Street?

Do we assemble peacefully in London?

Do we assemble peacefully outside Scotland Yard?

"Our inquiries found that these two men had the ability to illegally intercept mobile phone voice mails, commonly known as phone tapping."

Note, as per other reports, it says VOICEMAILS not CALLS. This is not wiretapping.

It is the actually the most basic form of hacking - guessing the password to someones account.

This does not involve the victims handset at all - you can dial up any networks voicemail facility from any phone, input the target phone number to select the appropriate mailbox and then with a simple 4 digit pin, you're in. As a security consultant said on BBC news the other day - account holders often mailbox passwords are left as the default.

Just like the police said - nothing to see here, move along. It is in fact quite lame. The media are trying to inflate the importance of the story by *implying* that actual calls were eavesdropped. Meh.

I'M ON THE TRAIN! MY CREDIT CARD IS **** **** **** ****, OH THE NUMBER ON THE BACK, YES ITS $$$.

Face it, with mobile phone you have no expectation of privacy. To consider otherwise is to dream.

However, once the powers that be have ingrained in us "NtH-NtF" ID Cards & the NIR become easy meat.

It just is not acceptable that, firstly, those in power consider it is their right to, regardless of the law or civil practice, their desire to make money over rides privacy and, secondly, the British public continue to stand by while they are made to look like complete jerks by those in power.

I want change and I want it NOW!

OK, I'll put the straight jacket back on and take my medicine, sorry Nursey.....

I cringed every time the media call this unauthorized access phone hacking or tapping, stop this nonsense forthwith.

Logging in to someone's account with their password is not hacking. It's not breaking and entering if you have a key, it's trespass.

Listening to someone's messages is not phone tapping. Watching your home made porno isn't the same as secretly taping you having sex.

if Murdoch has got some goodies on Police higher ups and they don't want it coming out into the open

Even the freaking Grauniad had to admit that they had no new evidence of (more) "phone hacking" - or even new evidence concerning the cases already reported, analysed and the miscreants punished. Basically this was all intended to stir sh-i-t up for the Tories and take the heat off Gordo and his cronies for a short time.

And guess what - it worked!

I may be mistaken, but if there is a statement from the paper that "broke" the story saying that the 'criminals' have not been caught doing it again - as against just rehashing the old news about the stuff they got done for already - then surely expecting the Boys and Girls in Blue to come up with new evidence is a little daft?

Move along, you don't need to hear what we want to sneak out but I understand Joe Bloggs down the road once pinched a girl's bum when he was at school fifty years ago...

Don't underestimate the seriousness of accessing someone else's voicemail without their consent. Not only would it appear to be unlawful interception, in breach of RIPA, but also unauthorised access/modification of computer material under sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.