UPDATE: 12/21/11 4PM -BBC covers Tallbloke, finally, Richard Black still silent- Norfolk constabulary to share hand-off Climategate investigation, and Greg Laden caves – see below
Dec 14th -The first blogger to break the Climategate2 story has had a visit from the police and has had his computers seized. Tallbloke’s Talkshop first reported on CG2 due to the timing of the release being overnight in the USA. Today he was raided by six UK police (Norfolk Constabulary and Metropolitan police) and several of his computers were seized as evidence. He writes:
After surveying my ancient stack of Sun Sparcstations and PII 400 pc’s, they ended up settling for two laptops and an adsl broadband router. I’m blogging this post via my mobile.
That means his cellphone. In his blog report are all the details. including actions in the US involving WordPress and the US Department of Justice. Jeff Id at The Air Vent also has a report here.
Strange and troubling that they’d seize his computers for comments dropped onto a US service (wordpress.com) from the cloud. There wouldn’t be any record on his PC’s of the event from FOIA’s placing comments, that would be in the wordpress.com server logs.
Either there’s more than meets the eye or they have no idea how the blog system works.
UPDATE: I’ve been in contact with Roger (Tallbloke) and he tells me that he is not a suspect, and that they’ll clone his hard drives and return the computers to him. – Anthony
UPDATE2: 12/15/9AM It seems that the story has gone viral on blogs. Four skeptic blogs are in the top ten of all WordPress blogs today. While I’ve seen 2 at a time on CG1 and CG2, four has never happened before. This is from my wordpress.com dashboard:
From top to bottom, WUWT, The Air Vent, Tallbloke’s Talkshop, Climate Audit.
UPDATE3: Delingpole in the Telegraph thinks its going to escalate
UPDATE4: Horner in The Washington Examiner weighs in
UPDATE5: The Guardian picks up on the story here
UPDATE6: Jo Nova suggests it is a form of intimidation
UPDATE7: Josh weighs in with two cartoons
UPDATE8: Greg Laden on Scienceblogs accuses Tallbloke of being a “criminal” – a claim really over the line and over the top. Clearly this is outside of the Code of Conduct for Scienceblogs.com (contact page here) Of course, after reading the rant of hate this man has for anyone not like him, especially Americans in some states, I suppose it’s just another day for him. Update: I sent off a complaint to the editors of Sb about this, and it appears that Laden has been asked to remove the libelous language, though the post remains as does his hateful attitude in comments.
UPDATE9: Lord Monckton to pursue fraud charges against Climategate scientists: Will present to police the case for ‘numerous specific instances of scientific or economic fraud’
Monckton: ‘I have begun drafting a memorandum for prosecuting authorities…to establish…the existence of numerous specific instances of scientific or economic fraud in relation to the official ‘global warming’ storyline…they will act, for that is what the law requires them to do’
Story at ClimateDepot here
UPDATE10: More than a couple of people have asked me about computer security in the last couple of days, especially after the Tallbloke raid incident.
I’m offering a simple security solution for those that want to protect their files: a USB flash drive with built in hardware security. See it here
UPDATE11: A copy of the search warrant can be seen at Climate Audit
UPDATE 12: The BBC’s Richard Black is silent, probably because he can’t “… find an angle that will allow the BBC to maintain the usual warmists good, sceptics bad holding pattern”.
UPDATE13: Tallbloke apparently is going to take legal action against ScienceBlogs and blogger Greg Laden over his libelous article (now modified to not be libelous) accusing Tallbloke of being involved in criminal activity, and is soliciting barristers. Laden says on his blog in comments:
“I think he’s a criminal for being a climate denialist. Sue me. “
Looks like Greg Laden will get his wish.
UPDATE14: Rep Markey has an “off with their heads” moment, Jeff Id explains how the connections being made are preposterous.
UPDATE15: Tallbloke has decided to take the libel issue with Laden to tort. A letter from his attorney is posted.
UPDATE16: Planetsave makes another libel with the headline: “Criminal Who Manufactured Climategate Caught?” The clueless writer, Zachary Shahan, is about as far away from understanding journalism as anyone I’ve seen. He’s in for a nasty surprise as Tallbloke has added him to the tort list.
UPDATE18: UK cartoonist “Fenbeagle” has done up a Star Wars parody in the vein of The Empire Strikes Back. Mike Mann, Phil Jones, Jawas, and a Wookie are featured.
UPDATE19: Tom Nelson points out that Laden seems to have caved to impending legal action: Warmist Greg Laden: Did I say that tallbloke is a criminal? I meant he’s not a criminal. Details here
UPDATE20: Tallbloke reflects on the solstice and says that questions are starting to be asked in the UK.
UPDATE21: Tallbloke reports that:
In a sudden new development, your correspondent has learned that Norfolk Constabulary have decided that climategate is too big for them to handle. According to an un-named source, they intend to hand over the inquiry to another force.
This follows on the heels of a ‘request for a contact’ at Norfolk Constabulary by Lord Christopher Monckton in connection with his intention to have the police investigate revelations in the ‘climategate’ emails placed in the public domain.
UPDATE22: Donna LeFramboise writes in the Financial Post:
This is all rather chilling. It appears that being the proprietor of a blog in which strangers leave links pointing to material on third-party websites now exposes one to being raided by the police.
UPDATE23: The BBC finally gets around to covering the seizure episode almost a week later, unsurprisingly, the very biased Richard Black isn’t the reporter.
good advice from alvin.
the router is probably for the mac address to trace some traffic.
obviously, they descended upon TB in a gang to investigate allegations of innocence.
I would surely want my own copy before handing over my personal files.
CG2 must have had a bigger impact on the warmistas than we thought (or that the MSM has admitted). Maybe they’re just mad that COP17 was a bust and Durban will forever have a negative reputation when it comes to tourist appeal.
There was a time when I thought my government stood for justice and that we were on the side of “the good guys”. This is heartbreaking in so many ways.
“They say I am not a suspect for any crime.”
Then what reason did they have for doing what they did, Tallbloke?
I thought both our legal systems were based on English common law, but y’all’s is certainly different from ours. 🙁
So…. Anthony….anyone at your door yet?
FOIA posted on your blog….so one would think they’d come look at your computers too? At work and at home? If not….why Tallbloke’s and not yours? the various comments indicate coordination with the US…
But if there is any “real” information to be found, I’d think they’d need to start with the WordPress servers and logs. Anyone work there? Or across the street from “there”? Wherever “there” is?
Just because you’re not guilty doesn’t mean you won’t be prosecuted. Meaningless accusations are made everyday and it cost money just to protect yourself from falsehoods. Hope you know an attorney who will look out for your interest and not bankrupt you in the process.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head!
I love the way you say [mobile] that means cellphone…
Do any of you really need a translation of ‘mobile’?
It reveals FEAR,…but fear of what? Going after some bloggers will make possible “Global Warming? LOL!!! Or…is it something bigger behind?. Anyway it´s useless: What will be will be if the greatest “conspirer” (God) wants it. Really childish.
Barbara Skolaut says:
December 14, 2011 at 5:52 pm
“They say I am not a suspect for any crime.”
Then what reason did they have for doing what they did, Tallbloke?>>>
They didn’t charge him with anything, and I doubt if they will. Executing a search warrant to seek evidence is just a legal search for evidence. I think under common law if he was a suspect they’d have to inform him that he was a suspect.
It isn’t any different than there’s a body found at the bottom of a high rise. There’s no doubt that the police could show up with search warrants for each and every apartment above the body. Searching for evidence in each and every apartment in that fashion would be a pretty logical thing to do, and one would be just searching for evidence, not charging every single apartment dweller with a crime.
At best, they’re shooting in the dark, hoping for some clue or corroborating evidence on Tallbloke’s computers. At worst, they’re just hopelessly and completely clueless about how to investigate something like this.
“Fahrenheit 451” or:
http://www.spunk.org/texts/places/germany/sp001630/peter.html
Clearly, the police believe that there was more communication between Tallbloke and the originator of the FOIA “Climategate” releases.
Its NOT the police!
Obviously its the gouvernments national intelligence services in action hiding behind the police. They are trying to get hold of “FOIA”. The gouverments are [SNIP! -REP] afraid of what´s in the remaining..encrypted e.mails. There is more here on the line here for the western gouvenrments and the UN and EU than most understand. To find anything that can discredit any sceptic is what they are seeking. They are trying to register all “oppositional” individuals watch your doors and instruct your children NOT to disclose what your familys opinion is on the issue. Dark days are here my friends very dark days. Whos the first sceptic to go to jail for his opinion?
Odd that IPCC is asserting exemption from FOI laws and someone who would like to know what they’ve been up to is having his computer seized.
1. While the ADSL router may have it’s own MAC address, the moment they pulled the plug all running data in RAM was lost. Logs have to be directed to another server’s “syslog” service in order to save it. The manufacturers prefer to save the limited number of writes of the FLASH RAM for firmware updates and config changes.
2. It’s quite possible though the ISP saved something on their end…
3. I suspect that the encrypted portion may not be exclusively emails focused on the usual gimmicks – but rather – they identify 6-12 individuals world wide who are enablers, backers, and financiers of Mann and Co. A few very high up-politicians, a few very high level CEO’s in league with those politicians, some of whom may be CEO’s of energy companies besides your usual Green fanatics and Soros types.
4. n++; what everyone else has said, “Get a lawyer immediately!” They don’t give a damn about your guilt of innocence.
5. EVERYONE!: Put aside $5.00, or $10.00 bucks if you can spare it. Charity season is upon us…
=8-)
“tallbloke says:
December 14, 2011 at 5:05 pm
They were polite and promised to return the kit after cloning the disks.
They say I am not a suspect for any crime.”
Just don’t say ANYTHING to them, reserve the right to remain silent!!!
The Air Vent’s main page is now down. Though you can still reach it through the archive page for December 2011.
FOIA:
They have drawn “first blood”… repeat “first blood”. The fox has the hen… repeat the fox has the hen… end of message. GK
They are probably looking – in a ham fisted way – looking for traces of FOIA’s IP address to trace it back to the original Climategate leaker. Of course he’d have used an anonymous VPN and a proxy to drop off any messages considering he was smart enough to elude them so long and they’ll come up with nothing.
Should we throw some money at Tallbloke? Maybe he could upgrade from those PDP-4s.
Seriously, if he’s out hardware, $50 from 50 people would solve the problem. And a copy of H.G. Wells 1984 😉
I have nothing to hide, but I still use PGP Whole Disk Encryption.
It’s his own fault for being tall.
But I would throw out anything returned. You never know what crap they put on it.
Ok, The Air Vent is back again.