Here’s another tale of UK data loss that has to be one for the “You couldn’t make it up” files.
An Englishman has bought a Nikon Coolpix camera from eBay for £17 that had lots of secret information stored on it.
According to The Sun, list is considerable.
- a document marked “top secret” detailed the encrypted computer system used by real-life James Bonds working away from MI6’s London HQ.
- a hand-drawn graphic revealed links between active al-Qaeda cells — with terrorists’ names and occupations.
- photos of rocket launchers and missiles
Although The Sun isn’t explicit — not surprisingly, as why would they confuse their readers — it appears that other data was held on the memory card, but not as photos. These include names, snaps, fingerprints and suspects’ academic records.
Special Branch attention
Having realising what he had, the eBay purchaser reported his findings to the police where he lived, at Hemel Hempstead.
Despite the officers apparently not taking it seriously, the anti-terrorist Special Branch officers turned up at his home and removed the camera and the computer that the pictures had been downloaded to – giving them £1,000 to buy a replacement.
It’s reported that investigation are being made into the seller of the equipment.