On Handling Sensitive Information

Sir Kim Darroch, UK ambassador to US,  resigned in Trump leaks row. In the news, his email of assessing the Trump administration around 2007, which criticized Trump. was maliciously leaked. It is said an investigation has been launched.

It is very unfortunate to the US-UK relationship, but it shows the importance of handling sensitive information. The Foreign Office estimated it could be around 100 people having access to this email. A question is: do they all need to read it? Another unknown is whether there were any handlers in-between? Furthermore, for the leaked information, is there a mechanism allowing investigators to trace back to the source?

In handling sensitive information, a mechanism for traceability is critical, which not only helps aftermath investigation, but also deters potential culprits.
When handling sensitive information, both confidentiality and traceability must be carefully instated.