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.
“And then, they came for me.”
When you get your computers back have someone check them out very throughly. With the US DOJ involved, I would not trust any of them.
As several others have said – GET THEE TO A LAWYER!
The Police ARE your enemy – sad but true.
Still haven’t learned the proper definition of “skeptic”, Anthony. No wonder you’re you fall for onspiracy theories so easily.
God!
Very dark times indeed. I love how the watermelons claim that they are ‘pro-democarcy’.
Dark Days ahead…
Neo says:
“Clearly, the police believe that there was more communication between Tallbloke and the originator of the FOIA ‘Climategate’ releases.”
I wouldn’t know what the police believe, but even if it were true, so what?? Despite the protests from the Team’s water carriers, nothing was stolen. How could it be? What, exactly, is missing?
And what law says that the public that paid for those emails cannot read them? This probably isn’t the critical event, but sooner or later something will happen that pushes this entire issue into an adversarial setting, where documents can be subpoenaed, witnesses questioned under oath, and cross-examined. If the Mann/Jones climate clique is ever subjected to full-on legal discovery, the public will start to sit up straight and pay attention as the “Team’s” self-serving shenanigans come to light showing how they conspired to divert tax money into their pockets.
In other news we have this from Sacramento yesterday:
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/12/13/firearm-sales-way-up-during-holiday-season/
I just read the link above before checking WUWT for new posts. Imagine coming here this evening after reading this:
——
Firearm Sales Way Up During Holiday Season
“Black Friday sales were off the charts this year,” a TDS employee said.
FBI stats show the number of background checks done on Black Friday three years ago pales in comparison to the number done this year — a 32-percent jump.
“People are just coming in to protect themselves,” the employee said. “I think there’s just a lot of things going on in the world that are getting people thinking.”
——
Hope this isn’t over the top Anthony, but the “TDS employee” might be on to something here. Feel free to snip. Just sayin.
There are several troubling aspects to this.
For one, no cop is going to be dragging anything out of my house regardless of cause without a warrent. This is just common sense because as much as I want to cooperate, I do not trust cops who are under no obligation to ever tell the truth except to as their identities in official capacities.
Other then that, nada. They will take anything you give them and will attempt to take anything they can get without a warrent. They might be able to get a warrent, but the thing that really sounds fishy here is the involvement of the US DOJ.
I have no issues with terrorism and the US DOJ in general but this has nothing to do with them. This is a case of a UK citizin and a UK case involving a UK university so what the heck is the US DOJ doing mucking itself around in the UK’s dirty laundry?
That is what upsets me the most about this as an American and I can tell you that I will be for the second time calling my senetors tomorrow asking why our department of justice is singling out individuals in other countries to investigate for crimes that have nothing to do with the US and for all intensive purposes trashing the rights and the purposes of anti-terrorism agreements.
As for the UK common law, why in the world is the US interested in the first place? Isn’t this a UK issue? And what does it have to do with the US at all?
That is probably the most troubling aspect, the entire premise that the US is involved in any capacity whatsoever.
If this was the case of an American citizen, I could perhaps see the point and perhaps see the involvement therein.
But a UK citizen? There is more here then we know at the moment. It could be just simple harrassement or a simple fishing expedition (both of which are simply wrong legally and hence my case for calling for a warrent and then subsequent juriprudence)….and the involvement therein of the US DOJ.
Smells fishy. Kind of like Fast and Furious. I personally do not trust our justice department here in the states at all, so yea, we shall see what this entire escapade is about.
You know what they say about tall poppies ….
Would not be surprised that the HIGHEST levels in UK and USA government are involved in stopping further release of 220,000 emails by leaker because they were involved LOL
Haha they won’t have a clue what they’re doing, believe me! I used to live fairly close to the county of Norfolk and, lets just say, brains are in short supply.
Mind you they might learn something if they read enough sceptical blogs! I reckon someone is leaning on them to do something and this was all they could think of :o)
davidmhoffer says:
December 14, 2011 at 6:00 pm
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My understanding is that they need reasonable cause to suspect Tallbloke of being complicit in any crime … and then they can get a magistrate to sign a search warrant.
So, what is their “reasonable cause” ?
They’d have a lot more “reasonable cause” to execute a search warrant of the ‘The Team’ at the University of Easy Access for climate fraud.
Nothing more than harassment of innocent people because they can.
What was the reason for the seizure ?
Any explanation ?
Or was it the “inconvenient truth”.
Freedom Of Information is a bitch, and she still has some teeth.
Only a fool would confront her, considering her internet allies.
Well all you have to do is vote Obama out and Rick Perry/Newt Gingrich in haha. That will really end the whole thing quick with quite a few changes in The Justice Dept and EPA LOL
What crime is US DoJ investigating? Are they simply cooperating with UK?
Anteros says:
December 14, 2011 at 5:59 pm
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Probably. In American, the adjective “mobile” isn’t used as a noun for any kind of action or object. That I can think of at the moment, anyway.
An amateur-radio licensee, operating a station away from the address on his/her license, would say (is required to say, I think) that they are operating mobile.
But to the ear of this linguistics-grad-school dropout, aged 57, the word carries a connotation of something requiring a vehicle.
A mobile laboratory, perhaps. (Accent on the first syllable, if you please.) Mobile pet grooming. Mobile windshield repair – they’ll come to your workplace and install a new … ehh … “windscreen” without requiring a trip to their shop.
In the recent past, “-mobile” was used as the second half of a compound noun invented by replacing “auto” with something else: “Junkmobile”. “Clownmobile” (small like those at the circus that emit more people than could possibly fit inside). “Lovemobile.”
Mobile is also, of course, an historic 310-year-old city in the state of Alabama.
But cell phone? No, not an obvious meaning for the word “mobile” in all parts of the “English”-speaking world. 😉
I’m totally flabbergasted and dismayed that the police can just barge in and nick private property of a private citizen in England. As others here have said – get a lawyer! This has to be in violation of your rights! Even making a copy of all your personal files and returning the computers is beyond the pale. I’m appalled beyond words.
fahrenheit 451 anyone?
I’m just curious. If you’re not a suspect, why were they awarded a search warrant for your house and go through your personal belongings. That seems like a pretty massive invasion of privacy for a ‘hunch’ that you may know something relevant to a criminal investigation.
I would lawyer up and if the authorities don’t give you satisfaction as to the reason why your privacy and belongings were taken, go to the press.
So how many computers have they been seizing at East Anglia? Or Russia?
If a search warrant has been issued, doesn’t it have to be related to an established offence?
The last murmurings that I heard from Norfolk Police was that there was no evidence of a crime/offence with the leaking of emails from CRU.
My theory- they are desperate to find the password – they are terrified that the rest of the emails get out. Just a theory
Tallbloke –
concerned for you, but wonder about the legality of the police action.
14 Dec: ScienceMag: Ralph Hall ( (R-TX) Speaks Out on Climate Change
by Jeffrey Mervis
The chair of the House of Representatives science committee doesn’t think much of the investigations exonerating the scientists involved in the 2009 Climategate e-mail scandal. He also believes that climate scientists are driven by hopes of financial gain in producing reports that provide evidence for global warming…
Ralph Hall in a statement to ScienceInsider expanding on his comments to the NJ: …
Recently released emails highlight many of the same concerns that initially emerged in the 2009 ‘ClimateGate’ emails – a small cadre of scientists coordinating advocacy rather than communicating uncertainty; manipulating journals rather than facilitating peer review; and cherry-picking data rather than following transparency principles, which is a central tenant (sic) of science. While several groups have investigated the actions associated with the ClimateGate emails, these straw-man reviews failed to address the real underlying allegations that continue to undermine the integrity of those involved…
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/12/ralph-hall-speaks-out-on-climate.html
Be aware that the returned computers may be loaded with key logger software.
“vigilantfish says:
December 14, 2011 at 6:53 pm”
As is the case now in Australia and New Zealand, the UK has been a police state for some considerable time.