Specific details revealed, according to the BBC, included the location of the London flat where Sawers lives with his wife, plus the location of their children and John's parents. The page's privacy settings were not turned on, meaning that anyone in Facebook's London network had access. Vacation photos, friendships and other details were also available on Shelley Sawers' Facebook page, which has since been removed. The story originally broke in the Mail on Sunday. Sawers is currently the UK Ambassador to the United Nations and is due to take up his role as the head of MI6 in November.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband played down the issue today, saying on a morning talk show: "You know he wears Speedo...I mean, that's not a state secret".
Incidentally, the error comes just as Facebook attempts a transition from a private social network to being a more public, Twitter-like broadcast channel.
See also: FACEBOOK FAIL: How to Use Facebook Privacy Settings and Avoid Disaster