Helsingin Sanomat may not have been able to sufficiently evaluate the importance of the classified information it used in an article about the Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency (VKoeL) on Saturday, says a professor of cybersecurity at Aalto University.
Helsingin Sanomat was ill-advised to publish an article based on classified documents that sheds light on the operations of the Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency (VKoeL), says Jarno Limnéll, a professor of cybersecurity at Aalto University.
The article, he explains, may have delivered “the missing piece of the puzzle” to foreign intelligence operators.
“Even a single bit of information may provide a hint of how the information has been gathered. If these methods become exposed, gathering information will become more and more difficult,” he stated in an interview on MTV on Monday.
He also questioned whether or not the newspaper was capable of sufficiently evaluating the value of the classified information.
“It’s very challenging for Helsingin Sanomat to evaluate which pieces of the classified information are such that they can be published on grounds of freedom of speech without endangering [national] security,” commented Limnéll.
“If you publish an article such as this and call particular attention to the fact that the sources are linked to highly classified documents, I think that’s when you’ve failed to consider the issue thoroughly.”
He also voiced his puzzlement with the decision to publish the information without first opening a dialogue with the subject of the information, the responsibility is which is to ensure the safety of Finland and Finns. Neither the newspaper nor the original source of the documents, he added, seems to have been motivated by a desire to expose wrongdoings at the Finnish Defence Forces.
Finland should nevertheless consider increasing the transparency of its intelligence operations in the future, said Limnéll.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT Photo: Emmi Tulokas – Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi
