I would argue that the opening up of HPGary's emails was most definitely in the public interest even though not legal. We learned that private, unaccountable se

I would argue that the opening up of HPGary's emails was most definitely in the public interest even though not legal. We learned that private, unaccountable security firms were being contracted by the government and corporations to circumvent the checks and balances to power that the US Constitution and Bill of Rights provide us as citizens. Also, it showed that HPGary was willing to try to intimidate journalists into disown their positions and not defending organizations they felt a moral responsibility to protect: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/02/11/campaigns http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/02/11... . More generally we are in a time of unprecedented attacks on the ability of the media to perform its role as a check to Power of all sorts: (Guy who exposed waste/corruption in NSA getting constantly harassed) http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_mayer http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_... (NYT writer subpoenaed before grand jury to give up source) http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/reporters-ordeal-continues-in-convoluted-cia-case/2011/07/03/gHQAbFDAyH_story.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/rep... (ATF agent fired for exposing that the ATF was actually selling Druglords guns) http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/the-obama-administrations-whistleblower-problem/241262/ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/the-obam... (bit from The Corporation about Fox news bowing to Monsanto's desire to cover up the dangers of rGBH in milk) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL1pKlnhvg0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL1pKlnhvg0 The more the government and Power in general tries to cut citizens off from the information we need to make informed decisions the more activists are going to try to get this info by extrajudicial means. The farther we slide into a world where Corporate power and Government power no longer act as checks to one another and form a united front against anyone who challenges their blanket of unchecked power the more important it will be for some force(s) to stand up to them on behalf of the people's rights, including their right to information. I'm not justifying what News of the World did, there is no moral basis for playing with the emotions of the family of that poor girl in order to get an edge on more moral news gathering organizations. Hacking is a tool just like leaking is a tool. Both are used for good and bad. The problem is when both are used solely by the people in power to control to hurt the little guy.