COMMENTARY:
The phone hacking scandal in Britain has captured the attention of millions around the world and continues to expand rapidly, with implications now for Scotland Yard and no apparent end in sight.

One knowledgeable source we know said “The ripples that are just now hitting the shores in the U.S. are likely to turn into a tsunami.”

Sources in the security community believe that these activities date back nearly a decade and the number of hacked phones is likely to more than double and could easily break 10,000.

Add to that the fact that there are about 11,000 pages of evidence that has reportedly been seized from a private investigator that was said to have been hired by the News of the World and you can see the vast expanse of the investigation that is underway.

This scandal has become of such significance and concern that Prime Minister David Cameron announced an emergency meeting of Parliament would be convened to deal with the phone hacking scandal.

A number of careers beyond News Corp. have been ruined by this scandal, including the top officials at Metropolitan Police Service of London, better known in the U.S. as Scotland Yard. Chief Sir Paul Stephenson and the Assistant Commissioner John Yates have both stepped down

At this point many wonder if News Corp. can weather the scandal in light of the decline in their stock. But there are also those who wonder whether the scandal could also bring down the prestigious New Scotland Yard. Either way, the career death toll will likely rise.

The investigation continues and has now expanded across the pond driven by allegations that victims of 9/11 in the U.S. may have had their phones hacked, prompting reports that the FBI has begun looking into these allegations. You can bet there is much more to come.

Kevin G. Coleman is a long-time security technology executive and former Chief Strategist at Netscape. He is Senior Fellow with the Technolytics Institute, where he provides consulting services on strategic technology and security issues.