DOJ looking into HP boardroom scandal was a story I was hoping to read.  While a company has the right to investigate employees, there is not a fine line, but a fat line, over which a public company dare not step or stumble.  And now the U.S. Attorney General is investigating HP's possibly illegal tactics in trying to track down which HP board member was leaking confidential information to the press.

"Pretexting refers to posing as a phone company customer to get access to personal records. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has said a crime was committed in connection with the pretexting, but his office is still investigating what crime and by whom."

What was lacking in this incident was a highly defined process for investigating the leaks - a process made public and agreed to by all the board members.  What we have here is a woman who exceeded her authority.  You can't blame this mess on the outsourced company who went after the phone records.  The blame rests solely on Chairwoman Patricia Dunn. 

It is right and fair that she has been asked to step down or forced to, however you want to look at it.  Why?  Because, to me -- a regular working girl and a consumer of HP products -- I have to know that HP, either as an employer or a vendor, can be trusted.  This situation makes me feel like I can't trust the company in either regard.  The choices HP is now making are restoring my faith in them. Good move.

The lesson in this for all publicly traded companies is that investigations must have legal bounds, a highly defined process, and the appropriate approvals. 
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