Janet CollinsA Spy on Facebook
July 5th 2009 21:15
Sir John Sawers
If you are going to work as a spy, it means you work undercover. That means keeping everything hidden. That means you keep everything a secret which also means opting out of social networking. It may be a little inconvenient in the day of openness and the internet but it may do anyone well who opts for this lifestyle to state the rules clear to their partner.
Sir John Sawer, soon to be head of the Secret Intelligence Service in the UK, found this out with the shocking revelation that his wife, Lady Sawer, had posted family pictures and so many details of the family’s activities, including their intended holidays and their associations on her Facebook account. This quickly made its way to the UK's Daily Mail’s front page.
What could she have been thinking? Her husband is a spy and the information about him or his family should be kept at the very least, low key. While so many people have Facebook accounts these days there is something expected of intelligence officers that goes beyond the normal. Sir John Sawer is more than an average intelligence officer. He is set to head an intelligence unit.
Why then would his wife pretend, even if it were just for a day, to be like all of the average citizens, compelled to write up – online – about her friendships and her and her family’s movements?
This episode just really proves how everyone wants to be like everyone else. They want to be able to say and do like everyone else. The trouble is, they can’t.
British officials have been so embarrassed by this lapse in protocol by Lady Sawer, they have removed all the contents from the site. The trouble is that the information found its way to The Mail on Sunday and it featured on the front page.
What may have been an urge to join a Facebook trend by Lady Sawer has rattled the British Foreign Office and has been another embarrassment for the embattled English Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
While this may have been playful internet activity by Lady Sawer, it generated enough publicity to warrant a double-page spread in The Daily Mail and British officials see the whole thing as such a a serious security breach they have gone into damage control.
The British Foreign Office was so astonished after they were alerted to this information going on to the internet that they quickly removed all the contents.
Really, if your husband was a spy, would you really go on to something like a Facebook account and post detailed accounts of you and your family's whereabouts? Seems like a really dumb thing to do no matter how you look at it.
Sourced: Daily Mail, UK
Picture Credit: Daily Mail, UK
| 99 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
or maybe shes just an idiot . . .
Comment by Mickey
TV Watchers
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Thank you.
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
A high tech net nanny - I love it! It all goes to show that you really can't assume anything and neither should the big wigs at MI5. They probably should have briefed her.
Thanks for dropping in.
Comment by Chris Champion
LettersToNorm
moneywhither
Vyoos
Zoomies
Bloggercises
The Blog of Lists
Newly Old
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Budget Centsability
It's not like if someone wanted to go after them they probably couldn't do so with a small amount of leg work but why would you put your family in the firing line like that?
The woman has just usurped Paris Hilton as officially biggest airhead of all time.
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
They probably need to draw up a new rule book for spouses of spies with rules like:
No one is to have the following:
Facebook
Myspace
Twitter
Linked In
Maybe they will have to forbid them computer use altogether. How very, very stupid.
Thanks.
Comment by Chris Champion
LettersToNorm
moneywhither
Vyoos
Zoomies
Bloggercises
The Blog of Lists
Newly Old
Facebook
Myspace
Twitter
Linked In
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Comment by hazius
home with hazius
But I wonder what would've happened if someone ELSE had posted all this info?
Arrested and charged?
At least arrested and warned, I would think.
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog
Thanks for dropping in.
Comment by Wilson Pon
Health 2 Know
Adventure Toes
Techno Stuffs
boxing sound
Business Rope
Fun Places 2 Travel
Comment by Janet Collins
Acceptable Etiquette
The Social Critic
Janet Collins Blog