Ed Markey addresses the subcommittee:

What has happened to our corporate culture? We used to ask who does your PR? Now will we have to ask, so who does your spying? That is what this whole area has opened up. HP's website says 'the company respects your privacy."

What were they thinking? I am concerned officials are suffering from Sgt. Shulz syndrome. Some are saying I saw nothing, I heard nothing, I know nothing. That is not believable. Where were the lawyers? Some are suggesting that ambiguities in existing law made it difficult for lawyers to determine legality. This is absolutely absurd. What happened is already illegal. Section 5 of FTC Act makes pretexting illegal. The Telecom Act of 1996, section 222 clearly states customers phone records can only be revealed to customer or someone with permission. Wire fraud laws also prohibit pretextiing. Congress must act to ensure this never happens again.