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| Britain |
| Mail mix-up reveals MP’s messages |
| 2003-11-13 |
| An e-mail blunder has resulted in a Cumbrian hairdresser receiving top secret messages meant for an MP. Ronnie Campbell, who runs the Kutting Krew Salon in Barrow-in-Furness, described some of the content - apparently sent from the House of Commons - as "frightening". The mail appears to have been meant for the Labour MP for Blyth Valley in Northumberland, who is also called Ronnie Campbell. Mr Campbell received information on Iraq policy and an advance copy of Tony Blair’s conference speech. He said he had informed officials of the mix up. "I’m just a hairdresser but I could have been a terrorist, that’s the worrying thing," he said. "I deleted them as fast as I could, but they came on my computer with my name on, so I opened them." As they say in the IT business, "Oops!" |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 This sounds like some kind of smear against MI5, or 6, or whoever handles that kind of thing in the UK. Or the BOFH forwarded someone's email as a good laugh while having a few pints. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-11-13 2:47:33 PM |
| #3 Top Secret data doesn't go by e-mail. That's nuts. Of course, we ARE talking about the UK Parliament, so I guess anything is possible. Incredibly stupid, but possible. Had they used PGP, they wouldn't have had much reason to worry even if twenty different Ronnie Campbells aside from the intended recipient received the message. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-11-13 1:49:46 PM |
| #2 Top Secret data doesn't go by e-mail. That's nuts. Of course, we ARE talking about the UK Parliament, so I guess anything is possible. Incredibly stupid, but possible. |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-11-13 11:13:39 AM |
| #1 Top secret info in an unencrypted email? Not a good idea even if it was addressed correctly... |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2003-11-13 10:53:09 AM |