Wife blows spy’s cover on Facebook
July 13, 2009 by Valerie HelmbreckPosted in: Employee computer use, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Security and law
You’d think some people would know better when it comes to keeping sensitive information off the Web.
Shelley Sawers, wife of the new head of the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6, opened a Facebook account and posted photographs of her family, the location of their home and the identities of several close family friends and associates.
Her husband must’ve been pretty surprised to learn his wife had posted such personal information (as well as pictures of him in his swim trunks) on a social networking site, given that MI6 employees are bound by strict secrecy guidelines.
Mrs. Sawers’ family will most-likely need to be moved and her children may now need extra protection.
The move was not only an embarrassment for her husband, but the British government, which just announced its new “strategy for cyber security,” a cross-government program to address the UK’s cyber security issues.
You may not be head of the Secret Intelligence Service, but how important do you think it is to keep personal information or pictures off social networking sites?
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July 13th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Simply amazing how blind some people are.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Well, at least she didn’t just leave it on the train. The UK’s cyber security issues and “strategy for cyber security” will have to deal with the human factor first. How many instances of human error over the past decade have left all of Britain out in the cold, not just this spy.
“Enlighten the people, generally” and you may see the trend of plain, thoughtlessness taper off. At any rate, after you do that, you can get them for treason, right? They have been warned, right?
“Sorry about this Dear, but for the Queen and Britain you must go to prison for posting on Facebook.”
;^j