Phone hacking acceptable to some

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 31 (UPI) -- It is likely many people did recognize phone hacking at Britain's News of the World, but remained silent, a U.S. researcher suggests.

"Some people may have remained quiet because they believed that this was acceptable practice -- perfectly normal for the non-naive," social psychologist Rex Wright of the University of Alabama at Birmingham says in a statement.

"Some people consider you to be naive if you abide by conventional rules of ethics."

The first allegations of phone hacking against News of the World came in 2005 when the royal family accused the now-defunct tabloid of intercepting voice mails, Wright says.

The investigation led to two resignations and two guilty pleas in January 2007, but many believed the violations extended beyond the royal family but the investigation ended, Wrights adds.

"To stand up against a group, especially management means you must be willing to suffer consequences. History is littered with people who paid an exorbitant price for taking a stand," Wright says. "When that cost affects yourself and your loved ones harshly, you better be correct."

People may have felt that this was a small price to pay for a very lucrative activity and they also may have believed the odds of getting caught twice were small, especially if police officials were turning a blind eye, Wright says.