UK intelligence agencies are concerned that Facebook and
other social networking tools are ruining the spy industry, says IT
security consultancy, NCC Group.
National security advisors are finding it increasingly difficult
to recruit people who do not have an online trail, according to
Rob Cotton, chief executive of NCC Group.
Anyone with a Facebook account automatically has images in the
public domain and is associated with a variety of organisations and
other people, making it difficult to keep a low profile, he
said.
"Having a Facebook profile, you are opening up a Pandora's box
of online traceability that you can't ever truly close, which
extends to close associates too," said Cotton.
The Mail on Sunday this weekend revealed that personal details
about the UK's ambassador to the UN and future head of MI6, Sir
John Sawers had been
accessible to 200 million Facebook users.
The details were removed after the paper alerted the Foreign
Office that Lady Sawers had posted the information on Facebook
without any privacy restrictions.
The information is said to have included the location of the
couple's London flat, the whereabouts of their three grown-up
children and details of friendships with senior diplomats.
"There are security implications for anyone who puts personal
details online, and we have long advised people to err on the side
of caution should they chose to have a Facebook profile or
similar," said Cotton.
The problem for national security staff is that once these
details are out there, it is very difficult to erase them, and the
wrong details in the wrong hands could actually lead to a life or
death situation, he warned.
"For those in high-risk roles where information is like
currency, something as innocuous as updating your profile could
jeopardise a mission," he said.
Foreign secretary David Miliband has dismissed concerns that
state security was compromised by the information made available by
Lady Sawers on Facebook.
He said no state secrets have been revealed, but some
politicians have called for government to provide assurances by
investigating the security implications of the incident.