GCHQ Can’t Account For Thousands Of Storage Devices. Have They Tried Surveillance?

Britain’s GCHQ has a promising new intelligence target: its own drawers.

The agency estimates that thousands of memory cards, hard drives and other portable storage devices cannot be found or accounted for, according to the intelligence watchdog’s annual report. They may contain sensitive data. This is not evidence that anyone stole them or that information leaked. It is evidence that the people responsible for knowing things do not know where the things are.

Investigatory powers commissioner Lord Leveson says he first raised the problem years ago. That should allow plenty of time to check the other coat.

The report says these devices are used extensively and are essential to some operating processes. So we’re not discussing one abandoned USB stick containing the office Christmas quiz. The agency’s own estimate runs to thousands.

Leveson remains concerned and disappointed by how long the investigation has taken, the BBC reports. Somewhere in British intelligence, “Have you seen my hard drive?” appears to have become a long-term strategic question.

For once, the sensible surveillance proposal is to keep a closer eye on the intelligence service.