On Her Majesty's not very secret service

Published on Sunday 5 July 2009 21:55

IF YOUR career ambition is to be the next head of MI6, it's probably not a smart move to have your personal details on Facebook. True, the secret world of intelligence has moved on apace from the novels of John Le Carré and the grim exchanges of Funeral in Berlin. And yes, our security services now bend to the requirements of openness and transparency.

But posing in swimming trunks on Facebook, with information on your home and family potentially available to 200 million people, stretches requirements for discretion to the limit.

The wife of Sir John Sawers, Britain's new "M Designate", posted pictures of her husband, children and home on the ever-expanding internet social network. True, the "embarrassment" has been somewhat exaggerated. But in an age riven by terrorism and when UK diplomats run the risk of attack, considerable time, effort and money will now be spent throwing a security cordon around Sir John to hide the very details that Lady Sawers has made so freely available.

One can hardly imagine Osama bin Laden polishing his Facebook entry with holiday snaps or indeed Twittering from his favourite resort in the darkest caverns of Tora Bora: "See holiday snaps today. Food so-so. Service slow. Ground keeps shaking. But cool togs, or what?"