News International phone-hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct '' News of the World '' and other British newspapers published by News International , a subsidiary of News Corporation . Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking , police bribery , and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories . Whilst investigations conducted from 2005 to 2007 appeared to show that the paper 's phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities , politicians , and members of the British royal family , in July 2011 it was revealed that the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler , relatives of deceased British soldiers , and victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings had also been hacked . The resulting public outcry against News Corporation and its owner Rupert Murdoch led to several high-profile resignations , including that of Murdoch as News Corporation director , Murdoch 's son James as executive chairman , Dow Jones chief executive Les Hinton , News International legal manager Tom Crone , and chief executive Rebekah Brooks . The commissioner of London 's Metropolitan Police Service ( MPS ) , Sir Paul Stephenson , also resigned . Advertiser boycotts led to the closure of the '' News of the World '' on 10 July 2011 , after 168 years of publication . Public pressure shortly forced News Corporation to cancel its proposed takeover of the British satellite broadcaster BSkyB
7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
News International phone hacking scandal