Phone Hacking Claims

If you have been a victim of phone hacking, or believe that your private information has been exploited without your permission, we can help you to make a claim against those responsible.

To speak to a member of our Media and Reputation Management team in regards to a phone hacking claim, contact JMW today by calling 0345 872 6666, or by filling in our online enquiry form to request a call back.

How JMW Can Help

At JMW, we can help you pursue a claim to recover damages or seek injunctive relief for the intrusion and the unlawful collection and use of private information. We can help you to obtain the evidence required to prove that phone hacking has taken place.

Our Media and Reputation Management team can also work with you to ensure you have protections in place to safeguard your privacy against intrusions from the media. Strategies can include pre-publication injunctions and court actions, as well as working with your PR team to ensure effective communication with the media.

What is Phone Hacking?

Phone hacking (or digital hacking as it often includes social media apps and email accounts) is a method used to obtain personal information by accessing an individual’s mobile phone device without their consent or knowledge. This can often leave hacking victims unaware of how information has been accessed, leading to mistrust among their friends and family.

It has widely been reported that in the past journalists and other writers will have used information sourced via phone hacking to produce stories that can cause huge amounts of distress, anxiety and embarrassment, as well as damage to a person’s reputation.

Is Phone Hacking a Criminal Offence?

Hacking an individual by intercepting their telephone calls can attract both criminal and civil penalties.

Criminal Penalties

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) is the main criminal statute that deals with phone hacking. Section 1 of RIPA provides that the unauthorised interception of communications is a criminal offence, and covers the following types of communication:

• Fixed and mobile telephone lines
• Unanswered voicemail messages
• Emails
• Text messages
• Paper messages

Other forms of regulation covering hacking offences include Section 48 of the Wireless Telegraph Act, Section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act, and Section 55 of the Data Protection Act.

Civil Penalties

Civil remedies (e.g. compensation or injunctive relief) can be sought for phone hacking, including actions for:

• Breach of confidence
• Breach of Article 8 rights under the Human Rights Act - the right to a private and family life
• Misuse of private information
• Breach of data protection
• Copyright violation

There are a number of factors that will be considered when determining the amount of compensation you will receive following a successful outcome from a phone hacking claim. These include:

• The infringement of your personal information
• The loss of autonomy, i.e. ability to control their personal information
• The amount of unwarranted media coverage
• Any distress, embarrassment and anxiety caused by the media coverage
• The exacerbation of any pre-existing medical conditions
• The defendant’s conduct

Seeking civil remedies can be complicated, so it is always advisable to obtain expert legal advice from a specialist phone hacking solicitor.