Feature, Musings —10.27.2017 04:54 PM
—BREAKING: Just got this from someone who was at today’s “deleted email” trial
The OPP, as you may recall, criminally charged two Ontario Liberals for “deleting” some emails which weren’t deleted. The guy they used to do the deleting is Pete Faist. That’s well known.
What wasn’t known until this afternoon is this: THE OPP HIRED PETE FAIST TO DO THE SAME THING FOR THEM.
From someone who was at the trial today:
We learned that Peter Faist worked as a security and network architect for a number of large corporations – like BMO and CTV – and government agencies – like OLG and OPP. He never had any issue passing a security check.
In fact, when Peter worked for the OPP Major Crimes unit, he was not assigned his own log-in and password but rather used an OPP staff member’s to conduct his work.So the process at OPP was identical to the process at OPO. He was signed in. Accompanied by a member of staff. Did his work using someone else’s password.
Will media report this? Probably not. The narratives are so baked in…nothing seems to be breaking through. Even as the defense dismantles the more sensational allegations…
I don’t know about you, but I find this mind-blowing: when the OPP hired Pete to do this work, it was okay.
But when the same guy was hired to do the same work at Queen’s Park, it’s suddenly a crime?
This trial is a fucking farce, now. That, or someone needs to swear a complaint against the OPP.
Maybe I’ll do that.
Beyond belief. But bear with me a minute…
In the Queen’s Park case, it’s being reported that Skeezix was given a “master” password, or a “special” password because as a regular User he didn’t have access to other people’s files. This usually means being given an Administrative account, one that has elevated privileges on the network (there are many different levels or privilege an admin account can have).
In the OPP case, it sounds like he wasn’t given an Admin account, but given access to someone’s User account. That usually means he has access only to those things that the particular User can access, not Admin access across the system.
Usually. If the OPP are logging people on with someone else’s account, they have destroyed any possibility of identifying who is responsible for anything done using that account. No traceability at all. That would be an incredibly stupid thing to do, and to think that an investigative unit might do that boggles the mind.
It double-boggles to think that they may have assigned admin-level privileges to user-level accounts, so that Skeezix logging on using someone else’s account would give him access to many people’s files. OPP Major Crimes never heard of “separation of duties” or “role-based access”?
Must (bang) stop (bang) banging head (bang) on desk (bang)…..
If the OPP did this and botched a case associated with deleting a computer, its news.
However, it politics is optics. How does the deleting of emails look to public regardless of similar circumstances or legality.
Your report doesn’t identify the work Faist was doing for the OPP but I don’t think they hired him to delete their emails on the gas plant fiasco investigation!