MI6 Secrets Found on Digital Camera Sold on eBay

But a camera?

According to The Sun, an unidentified 28-year-old resident of Hertfordshire, U.K. bought a Nikon Coolpix camera on eBay for a mere £17 (or a little over $30), only to find it contained:

• A document marked "top secret" that detailed an MI6 encrypted computer system
• Pictures of rocket launchers and missiles
• A hand-drawn graphic revealing links between active al-Qaeda cells, including names and occupations of suspected terrorists
• Information about Abdul al-Hadi al-Iraqi, one of al-Qaeda’s highest-ranking lieutenants, who was captured by the CIA in 2007 and is currently being held at Gitmo.

Poor guy. He did the right thing and went to the police with the information. They apparently didn't take him seriously --- at first. Then Special Branch descended on his home, taking the camera and his PC --- but giving him £1,000 (about $1,800) in exchange.

Terrorism author Neil Doyle said:

"These are MI6 documents relating to an operation against al-Qaeda insurgents in Iraq. It’s jaw-dropping they got into the public domain.

Not only do they divulge secrets about operations, operating systems and previously unheard-of MI6 departments, but they could put lives at risk."

Problem with all of this: it's all about the human factor. Obviously someone screwed up. But as long as we have humans involved in any activity, it's going to happen occasionally. On the other hand it seems to happen all too often, doesn't it?