I'm more concerned about the information that's thought to be private. Remember the Palin email incident? That guy just googled the answers to her password reset questions.
These things will be thought of as the 21st century's "lost briefcase."
And this is hardly the first highly public breach... MI6 staffers are notorious for leaving unencrypted laptops on trains or in taxis. But as an ordinary UK citizen, under the New Liebour government, I'm relieved that they're so completely incompetent.
Regarding security, sure foreign spies don't need that kind of information. But how about the average "joe" who holds a grudge against him, who just wants to "scare" him a little bit?
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"A great deal of taxpayers' money has been spent over the past several decades making sure he and his family are protected from security compromises. Well, it doesn't seem to be very relevant anymore, does it?"
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1197562/MI6-chief...