♪ >> this is "bbc newsnight." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. ♪ >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. from small businesses to major

corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc newsnight." >> there were secretly followed by private detectives. celebrities and members of the british royal family were put under surveillance by the "news of the world." the man the newspaper hired to do it tells us how he tell hundreds of targets. >> she was dressed very immaculately. i think she was wearing a fur coat. >> when billionaires' do battle. and inside at the lives of russia's mega-rich as they fight a $6 million lawsuit. and can drugs make you smarter? we experiment with the cognitive enhancers that can boost your brain power more than 10%. ♪ >> the targets included the british royal family, movie stars, soccer players, and politicians. right up to the moment when the murdoch organization pull the plug on the paper was attacked in to the phones of celebrities

of public figures, it was asking a private investigator to trail people, too. in an exclusive interview, he told us he was given over 100 assignments. here is the story. >> winter 2007, its driver -- the private investigator derek webb is on the drill of an escort. she is being driven around central london in a taxi visiting clients. he watches as the taxicab calls about that one of the city's most exclusive hotels. >> she was dressed very immaculately. i think she was wearing a fur coat as well. she walked through the hotel, pass reception, and into the left. straight into the left. i was carrying my back. i did not know what i needed. i was with her. she published the third floor. i pushed the fourth floor. she got out. when she got out, just before the lift was about to close, i put my foot in it to see what room she was going in.

she knocked on indoor and somebody let her in. i saw her going into that room. >> another success, the former police officer derek webb past his intelligence on to "news of the world," which was working on a sex scandal story. >> we obtain this document which gives an astonishing insight into how "news of the world" was operating. it has every surveillance job that derek webb from 2003 to 2008. there are more than 100 names. >> the list contains many of the most high-profile people in great britain, including members of the royal family. derek webb needed all of his 15 years of experience as its surveillance of the third to evade the attention of the royal protection squad. >> they had no idea. that is because my expertise in relation to it, but they were not aware that they were being followed.

this happened on quite a few occasions. and i was able to realize been which royal protection officers were with which royal party. >> in march 2009, "news of the world" asked derek webb to conduct surveillance on the london home of the girl that they believe was receiving visits from prince harry. his former girlfriend had been placed under surveillance in 2006 and 2007. derek webb says a journalist made the request. >> he would ask me to go to heathrow airport. and follow ms. davy, prince harry's girlfriend, and follow her to where she was going. on a number of occasions, she would be picked up and that would either go to clarence house or they would go to an address out in oxfordshire. and then i would be monitoring them to see whether there was

anything further developing. >> many royal surveillance jobs were referred by client goodman, the royal correspondent who was convicted of phone hacking i 2007. but derek webb as he was never told the source of any leads. >> i have never had a phone myself. i do not know anything in relation to hacking. i realized that hacking was now a big business in relation to what was going back, but i never knew about it at the time. had no knowledge of it. i was never told by not one journalist peter than ever tone be they obtained by phone hacking. >> derek webb says he was also dispatched to trail prince william. >> prince william came out with kate, followed by the royal protection vehicle. i followed the royal protection vehicle in france. they ended up at the farm. i followed the royal protection around.

i watched them then go for lunch and more. >> apart from the royals, there're plenty of sports stars on the list. this is derek webb's surveillance video of gary. "news of the world" was investigating his private life, but this was nothing of interest to the paper. >> that was a job that went over quite many weeks. in numerous other newspapers were looking at him. he is one of these people that i think is more surveillance- conscious. he looks, and i think he is aware of cars following him. because i think it has been done over a number of years. people have looked at him. >> some jobs were more controversial than others. derek webb says he was asked to carry out surveillance on the former attorney general, lord goldsmith, in january 2005. >> i followed him around.

he was mainly big step by a chauffeur and driven to his office at buckingham palace. or other locations. and i would monitor and everywhere, and to an extent and the budget ran out or they decided that they would not pursue the job further. >> did it ever surprise you that they wanted to effectively put lord goldsmith under surveillance? >> no, nothing surprised me in relation to the amount of politicians, and i was doing it as the business. i was solely doing it as a business, to earn a living. >> the list of targets is huge. boris johnson, angelina jolie, paul mccartney, charles kennedy, david miliband, models, and the list goes on and on.

sometimes the families of targets were also large. "news of the world" wanted him to follow the parents of the harry potter star for unknown reasons. and he drilled on foot in a partner of the energy secretary as she walked around the capital. >> many of the jobs, the majority of the jobs, 95% of them i was never rumbled at all. even if falling for weeks on end. >> for derek webb, the commission's kept rolling in. >> because i kept getting results for them, they employ in my services more and more. so i was getting word from them, and they were very satisfied with the work. >> but he says that after eight years with "news of the world," he was cut loose and the paper folded with no compensation. he is taking an employment case against them. >> other people were getting loyalty payments, and i was

loyal to "news of the world. i was loyal to them, and they failed to recognize this. and disregarded me as a non- entity. >> now he has decided to go public in such a spectacular way with his exclusive interview. there are bigger ethical questions about the scale of the surveillance, which will be tough for the paper's publisher. >> in english soccer club, yacht and a private jet, but he cannot read his own handwriting. that is what he claims in a british court this week as he and fellow russians fight over the business empire of which he claims he was cheated. here is the report on the $6 billion battle described as the world's largest private lawsuit. >> the most flamboyant of russian tycoons versus the shyest. one of the kremlin's most bitter enemies of versus its trustees supporter. the one-time richest man in

russia said vs the current ninth largest. these two, a battle about basic human values. >> i trust of romell village in eastern manner, like a son, a lot of years, and he betrayed me. >> a battle between past and future. >> his time had passed. his time in russia's post- communist history was over. russia had moved on. i had moved on. >> the battle over a claim for more than 3 billion pounds, the owner of the chelsea football club describes it as without merit. but for the past six weeks, the high-flying tycoon has been grounded in london, confined to an english court room with his rival. the both squeeze bodyguards and to the public gallery, and they both have been pummeled

relentlessly at the witness by two of the credit was paris stores. >> why on earth is this trial taking place in london? it is set in the witness stand that the claims in these proceedings have virtually no connection with england. the other says he does not even live here. yet, by an extraordinary stroke of bad luck, from his point of view, he happens to be out shopping with his bodyguards in kensington and one day in 2007 at exactly the same time as the other without shopping with him. he was leaving one shot and happened to catch sight of the other two doors away. and grabbing what he wanted to serve on his rival. for months, he rest in and tried to thrust it out of his hands.

>> four years of legal wrangling later, the risk is got to the high court. warnock just in relation to the 20 to the extraordinary characters, but one of the market is in most fascinating times in russian history is put and a difference a glide of english justice. the question for the court, how did they work together with the youthful plastic dog manufacturer turned oil trader? were they partners? or were they not? certainly whenever he needed a few more millions or hundreds of millions to sustain his life style and public persona, abramovich walked out. but the other says the cash was his share of joint profits. but abramvich says he was paying for protection and

intervening in a chaotic and dangerous world. and the barrister call the medieval. in our own national experience, we have to go back to the 15th century to find anything out really comparable. >> i hope i do not have to have expert evidence about life in the 15th century. >> not for me, but you have read shakespeare. >> with the arrival of a new rule in the kremlin in 2000. vladimir putin makes the story even more shakespearean. he believed he made the new president, a former little-known spy chief the helped promote. but the king turned on his maker. the turning point was the sinking of the russian submarine. the tv channel attacked the kremlin's sluggish response. vladimir putin was furious. two months later, berezovsky left russia, never suffer to

return. >> it is a commercial case about a business dispute. for anyone interested in russia, it is also deeply political. pitting boris berezovsky, one of the kremlin's most impact old enemies, against roman abramovich, who has always tried to steer clear and keep the best possible relations with vladimir putin. >> late in 2000, roman abramovich also entered politics, serving platter or put in as governor of the reindeer herders of russia's remote province. meanwhile, the court heard, after a meeting while on a holiday in the french alps, roman abramovich agreed to pay a staggering 13 $3 billion to boris berezovsky and his partner as the final payoff for the protection he no longer needed. the kind of 24 karat handshake. but boris berezovsky says that roman abramovich was buying him out of their joint business at a knockdown price, threatening

that if he did not accept the terms, president vladimir putin might jail one of boris berezovsky's friends. a secret that -- recording revealed the threat and proves the vladimir putin's arbitrary power. >> if president putin did not want someone to be arrested, the would not be arrested president prejean did want someone to be arrested, they would be. that is right, isn't it? >> no, it is not right. this says that president putin is the most well-informed person. it is not mean that he influences who shall be arrested and who should not. >> roman abramovich and to stress the lawlessness of russia in the 1990's and is keen to stress his lawful list today. whatever is right or wrong in this case, which continues at least until christmas, the fact that they're similar russian disputes engage in the english courts tells another story. it suggests there is a little reliable just as in russia. taking these cases on as a lucrative legal business.

but whether it ultimately enhances or diminishes the reputation of the english judiciary is another question. >> how many times that the pictures often wondered if only i had thought of that? scientists are coming to understand more how the brain works. is it conceivable that medicine can make us smarter? susan watts test out the pills that can make our brains just a little bit better. ♪ >> our brain is unique. it is the most complex organ in the human body. it is 100 billion yen nerve cells connected to shape our memories, our thoughts, and our aspirations. most of us want to read our true potential. now science and technology are offering to take us beyond human. drugs and implants can

turbocharge our brains. but just how far do we want to go? ♪ >> you are a fighter pilot on a long demanding mission. your life and that of your colleagues depend on you being awake and alert all the time. there are drugs you can take to keep you focused. would you take them? this is one of those drugs, modafinil, normally described for people with sleep disorders. we know that military and medical establishment have tested it to see the will improve performance. there are people taking it underground as a brake booster, because they think it enhances their cognitive powers. i have come to cambridge university center for brain and mind sciences. in a moment, i will be trying it for myself.

>> i have taken modafinil a few times. primarily for its ability to increase wakefulness and allow me to concentrate and stay away for a long time spans. 20 to 30 hours straight, working on nsa. >> he is in his second year at oxford university. he sees no real difference between taking modafinil and caffeine, but he acknowledges that sourcing these drugs is far riskier, because he's getting hold of them over the internet. >> if i were going for modafinil, there are a variety of web sites online which one can access and purchase the pills for paul perform and have them delivered to one's doorstep. the reality is that it is pretty easy for someone with a credit card or a bit of cash to obtain some of these compounds. >> he has a background in

computing in neuroscience. he is a researcher at oxford university's future of humanity institute. he talks openly about taking it cognitive drugs. >> i am actually suspecting that it is more than i would like it to be. in the case, it might not be much of an ethical problem. that is some research that has to be done. there's also the question whether the students are actually using these drugs in the best way. after all, just staying up all night studying not be the smartest way, because you need sleep to consolidate your memory. >> some, a to-enhancers' are classed as controlled drugs. modafinil is not. it is not illegal to buy it online, but it is illegal to supply it without a prescription. we have all heard about students drinking coffee are taking caffeine tablas to stay awake all night in cram for an exam

are finished and asset. and now there is evidence they're taking something more potent. there is little hard data about who is taking what. >> we conducted an online survey of viewers and readers of new science magazine and of the 716 responses, 30% said they have taken a cognitive-enhancing drug. of those, nearly 40% said they bought it online. 92% say they would try it again. the survey gives as only an anecdotal snapshot of the world of smart drugs. but it shows that already there's real concern that these drugs could lead to a two-tiered society. >> what is saying is that their people out there who are not willing and able to source these drugs and take them. it is looking like earlier doctors of technology. maybe the whole world is not taking them, but a certain section of society are. that raises interesting social and other colleges.

quite aside from safety, you need to start thinking about whether people should be allowed to take these drugs it there taking exams or at university. is it like performance enhancing drugs in sports? which we do not allow people to use. >> those are back in cambridge to find out the effects of cognitive-enhancing drugs on me. >> there are safety concerns. we want to make sure you are safe. >> he is a neurologist and part of our research team testing, mid-enhancers' like modafinil to see if they help people with parkinson's or alzheimer's disease. >> i used either modafinil or a placebo. i know which is in it, but you will not know. nor the person being tested. >> ok, here we go then. >> there we go behind we conduct

this test? this is our second trip to the cambridge union. i am about to take this tablet. again, i do not know if it is the placebo or the real modafinil. >> now i have just got to wait for a couple of hours for the drug to take effect. the professor is also part of the cambridge team working with cognitively impaired people. her most recent research s shows that sleep deprived surgeons perform better on modafinil. she thinks these jurors could pay -- and these drugs could play for right -- a far wider role in society. >> it doesn't a, a report showed that even a small tent -- 10% improvement in memory could it lead to a higher grade. that is a big improvement. as a society, we could perhaps

move forward if we all had a form of cognitive enhancement that was safe. >> this is the second time we're doing the test. >> in cambridge, i am about to do a bit of self experimentation of my own. >> in the first half, you'll see a square. >> i have to complete two sets of computer games over an hour and a half. to test my powers of memory, strategy, and planning. ntc if modafinil has any -- and to see if modafinil has any effect on me. [bell rings] >> if i said one, two, three, you would say to me, three, two, one. the first one is five, one. >> 1, 5. >> that is everything done. the last thing is to rate how you are feeling. how are you feeling? >> physically, i am feeling more myself.

if i had to guess, i would said that last time was when i was given the modafinil, but it is really very marginal. >> we will find out if i was right in a minute. but what if there were drugs that can make as kind of more considerate, more moral? scientists are about to start tests on a range of hormones that could do just that. they call it moral enhancement. this professor supports the idea of cognitive enhancement but sees risks in dabbling with people's values. >> somebody is not morally enhanced because they're necessarily dispose to do things of which others would approve. they are morally enhanced, it seems to me, it their better capable of making moral judgments. that is to say better capable of considering alternatives, realizing the consequences of their actions, realizing the wider context in which they act. most of that is likely to be more achievable through

commented that batsmen then drew moral advancement. -- cognitive enhancement and through moral enhancement. >> can you guess which when you thought was the modafinil? >> it is very hard, quite marginal. if i was forced to guess, i would say that the first time was when i had the real modafinil. >> that is very interesting but not correct. today, you had modafinil. >> really? that is interesting. i would definitely say i feel more myself today, which is very strange. >> also when it came to planning and moving the balls around on the screen -- >> the one i really did not like. >> he found it difficult, but you did very well you did even better today on modafinil. >> on the memory recognition test my score went up from eight out of 10 to nine out of 10, attendees an absolute increase. >> what we have seen today when you were taking modafinil is a

striking improvement in memory. planning abilities and impulse ability. >> it is human nature to want to push against our limitations. but what about the risks? my test with modafinil was medically supervised and involved just one dose. but with these drugs, we do not know the long-term effects on the brain. >> think it would be good that the government would look to this problem together with the pharmaceutical industry and say, you know, if you conduct the studies to show long-term safety and health in humans, we will regulate these drugs in in normal ways that people can get access -- to save drugs. they could perhaps go to their gp and ask if they may take the drug. >> which would increase the power of our brain their exercise, sleep, and diet. but the attraction of a pill that makes these mortar will not go away. in might just be a few percent now, but one of them were 50%,

100%? what we still say no? >> the cognitively-enhanced -- that is all for this week. from all of us here, goodbye. ♪ >> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. ♪ >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> "bbc newsnight" was presented by kcet, los angeles.