Police investigating serial hackers stealing and posting emails between climate researchers raided the home and confisctaed the computer of at least climate denier’s home this week:
(ClimateCrocks) — On Wednesday, detectives from Norfolk Constabulary entered the home of Roger Tattersall, who writes a climate sceptic blog under the pseudonym TallBloke, and took away two laptops and a broadband router. A police spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday that Norfolk Constabulary had “executed a search warrant in West Yorkshire and seized computers”. She added: “No one was arrested. Investigations into the [UEA] data breach and publication [online of emails] continues. This is one line of enquiry in a Norfolk constabulary investigation which started in 2009.”
Detectives are being tight-lipped about what they hope to find. But the upshot is that while this particular blogger probably played no role in the robbery, his computers and router may contain info leading to those who did.
It will be very interesting if the identity of those responsible comes to light. Follow the money and chain of custody could lead to some inconvenient truths and my guess is the perps and anyone involved with them are deeply worried right about now.
These people aren’t swayed by facts. This is a coalition of political conservatives and conspiracy theorists. The conservatives don’t care what new facts come out; the conspiracy theorists will see any arrest as further proof of their idiotic claim that the emails are hiding something. The science behind anthropogenic global warming is straightforward and clear, and still lots of people find reasons to deny it. These are people who are not susceptible to facts.
I’ve often wondered why the authorities weren’t pursuing the cyberpunks who stole the emails. Glad to find out they were investigating. Now let’s hope some of them get the prison time they deserve.
I am afraid jakc is right, though. Even if we find out who funded the attacks most people will not care, and the climate denial movement will roll merrily along while the world bakes.
Isn’t it a bit late to still hope they’ll find the people behind it ?
Loathsome as these denialists are, I have to admit it gives me a chill to hear about anyone’s computer’s being confiscated. I depend so heavily on the information and customizations in my computers that the idea of losing access to it even for a day makes me shudder, and the though of having some ham-handed cop pawing through it indiscriminately and possibly never giving it back is unimaginably awful. I wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy, especially if they aren’t even the culprit, but just somebody who might have useful information.
I know sometimes that kind of thing is necessary in order to investigate crimes, but it’s still ugly and I can’t feel comfortable gloating about it.