Official Secrets Act

[greenrook]

I signed and was bound by this Act in 1954, as a serving soldier handling 'sensitive' material in Germany, as part of my job. I left the Army several years later, but don't remember any sort of release document, apart from my demob papers. Am I still bound by the Act, and what if I am? No particular reason for this question, just mild curiosity -G-

[EcclesCake]

You are bound for life to adhere to it.

[greenrook]

Hello Eccles, thanks for input, I'm sure you must be right, even though the stuff I was privy to in the Cold War era has no relevance at all to the 21st century, as you can imagine. Still, it was certainly relevant for a few years after I became a civilian. -G-

[Old_Geezer]

Go on, be a whistle blower. We're right behind you.

[naomi24]

Eccles is right. Regardless of the relevance of the information you may have been privy to, you are bound to secrecy for life.

[bazwillrun]

I was hassled for roughly seven years about release papers or whatever they were from a civill service job, i just kept ignoring them and eventually they went away

[EcclesCake]

Greenrook, you are almost certainly correct about the information you were party to has time expired and is no longer sensitive. However it is the Government's decision what gets disclosed as time passes hence the OSA is a lifetime commitment.

[craft1948]

I had to sign the official secrets act when I joined Post Office Telephones.

[greenrook]

Well, as I'm feeling a bit devilish this evening, I'm going to take OG's advice and risk it. Here goes - there is a strong rumour in some intelligence circles that they're going to build a bloody great wall to divide Berlin. There, I've said it!

[Old_Geezer]

About time I say. Should sort this European Union suggestion out.

[woofgang]

I have always loved the story of the memo sent round in WW2

"TOP SECRET
The word "radar" is no longer top secret."

[naomi24]

I don't think I'm breaking any rules in telling you this. I was briefed before my first visit to a communist country - and on my return there was practically a fight in the office over who was going to debrief me! :o)

[Old_Geezer]

I can believe that !

[naomi24]

Ha ha!

[craft1948]

I remember a scouser who was briefly on loan to our Westminster office, and thought it a wheeze to let his mates back home know various telephone numbers for 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
I know he was sacked but I don't think they hanged him..............

[Wharton]

I phoned the MoD and asked how many people were employed at Faslane. I was told this was classified information. I then phoned the Russian Embassy who gave me the exact number and offered to give me their names and addresses.

[ABerrant]

We are all bound by the Official Secrets Act(s). The OSA is a law, not a contract, so to be bound by it requires no signature just as no signature is required to be bound by the Road Traffic Act(s).

People working with sensitive information are commonly required to sign a statement to the effect that they agree to abide by the restrictions of the Official Secrets Act and is popularly referred to as "signing the Official Secrets Act". Signing is intended more as a reminder to the person that they are under such obligations.

[DTCwordfan]

Faslane released the following names or request:

A. Wharton
B. Wharton
C. Wharton
D. Wharton
E. Wharton
F. Wharton
all in all 656 Wharton combinations

Then there were 50 people called McWharton, 37 called MacWharton and one with the name Salmond-Wharton.

[DTCwordfan]

Yes xerus, when all the Whartons are made unemployed after Scottish Independence and the base moves to Plymouth, that being the Wee Fat Haggis's preference in having a nuclear free Scotland - and we down here would welcome the base coming in......

Go for it, you Scots, we would vote yes to your independence, if we could.

[Wharton]

DTC - If you have plenty of water down there, why don't you put some of it into whatever you're drinking?