UK Government: Greenwald’s Partner Had a Password Written on a Piece of Paper
The Telegraph’s David Barrett attended a hearing today on the detention of Glenn Greenwald’s partner David Miranda, and tweeted the following amazing information:
Statement from senior Cabinet Office civil servant to #miranda case says material was 58000 ‘highly classified UK intelligence documents’
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
Police who seized documents from #miranda found among them a piece of paper with the decryption password, the statement says
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
This password allowed them to decrypt one file on his seized hard drive, adds Oliver Robbins, Cabinet Office security adviser #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
The material contains personal information that would allow British intelligence staff to be identified, inc some overseas, it adds #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
The Govt has had to assume Snowden data is now in the hands of foreign governments, since his travel abroad (to HK and Russia) #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
It is “impossible” for Glenn Greenwald or any other journalist to determine which info could damage UK national security: Robbins statement
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
“The claimant & his associates have demonstrated very poor judgment in their security arrangements with respect to the material…”#miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
“…rendering the appropriation of the material, or at least access to it by other, non-State actors, a real possibility” #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
#miranda “The fact that…the claimant was carrying on his person a handwritten piece of paper containing the password for one of the (cont)
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
…encrypted files recovered from him is a sign of very poor information security practice,” says Govt statement #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
The Govt statement sets out how they approached the Guardian because they were convinced it could not safeguard the sensitive data #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
“The Guardian appeared to accept our assessment that their continued possession of the information was untenable,” says Govt #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
Guardian agreed to keep its interaction with the Govt confidential but “unilaterally published” details earlier this month, it adds #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
National Technical Assistance Centre, part of UK Govt listening post GCHQ, is helping Scotland Yard decrypt material seized from #miranda
— David Barrett (@davidbarrett) August 30, 2013
This new information utterly destroys Greenwald’s self-serving narrative about this incident.
Greenwald, of course is reacting to the news in his usual fashion — by implying the government is lying, and spewing insults.
@SimonWDC @blakehounshell Yes: “incredible details” as claimed by the UK government, as filtered by a virulent NSA defender/govt contractor
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 30, 2013