Why spies should avoid Facebook
A lesson Sir John Sawers—head of Britain's foreign spy service—and his wife learned the hard way
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Here's some advice for anyone hoping for a career as a spy, said Nadia Gilani in Britain's The Times. Stay off Facebook. Sir John Sawers—the new head of the U.K.'s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6—learned that the hard way, after his wife, Shelley, posted vacation photos and personal details on the social-networking site. Lady Sawers used no privacy protections, potentially exposing the family's friends and associates to Facebook's 200 million users worldwide.
"Wow," said Foster Kamer in Gawker. John Sawers is "supposed to lead up one of the world's two most powerful secret service organizations. And serious secrets—like where the guy lives, who his friends are, who his family is, and what his wife's favorite Liza Minnelli musical is—have been exposed (along with his Speedos, which terrorists and enemies of the British state everywhere will, at the very least, get a laugh out of)." But, seriously, Laborites and Tories alike are wondering—with good reason—whether to keep this guy on the job.
Online oversharing is a problem for a lot of people, said Judy Berman in Salon. There's a blog called STFU, Parents that makes fun of moms and dads who embarrass their offspring by airing the family laundry—or flat-out ridiculing their kids—on Facebook. Note to everybody: Your business ceases to be private the second you post it online.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
What to know when filing a hurricane insurance claim
The Explainer A step-by-step to figure out what insurance will cover and what else you can do beyond filing a claim
By Becca Stanek Published
-
How fees impact your investment portfolio — and how to save on them
The Explainer Even seemingly small fees can take a big bite out of returns
By Becca Stanek Published
-
Enemy without
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published