Hewlett Packard's corporate spy ring may have skated with a wrist slap (and a $14.5 million fine) from the California Attorney General's office, but HP isn't out of the woods yet. A troika of CNET reporters are suing the pugnacious pretexters to the tune of several million dollars, after the company hired PIs to illegally obtain their phone records and had them followed to uncover the sources for their news stor Hewlett Packard’s corporate spy ring may have skated with a wrist slap (and a $14.5 million fine) from the California Attorney General’s office, but HP isn’t out of the woods yet. A troika of CNET reporters are suing the pugnacious pretexters to the tune of several million dollars, after the company hired PIs to illegally obtain their phone records and had them followed to uncover the sources for their news stories.One private dick tailed CNET reporter Dawn Kawamoto and her young daughter while they vacationed at Disneyland. (No word on whether he dressed up as Mickey or Goofy.) The reporters aren’t looking for a big payday. Most of the money will go to charity and legal bills, according to a report in the New York Times. I say more power to them. The more HP has to pay, the better (though I’d settle for some old fashioned tarring and feathering). Corporations have always tried to manipulate, intimidate, or control the media but this goes way beyond the pale. Personally, the whole episode makes me feel much less paranoid. It explains the unmarked white van that’s been parked down my street and those black helicopters hovering over my house late at night. Now the only question is whether they belong to the CIA or Microsoft.Are you being followed? Share your paranoia with me here or post a comment below. Top tipsters will receive a bag to cover their heads when they leave the house. Software DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business