Is Social Media Meant for the Military?
It’s the age of cyber-crime, and has been ever since Sandra Bullock starred in The Net circa 1995. Criminal prowess has only grown since then, with sophisticated hackers threatening the safety of all, from personal bank accounts to government informational systems. It would seem counterintuitive, then, for the United States military to embrace social media platforms, which are infamously noted for their ever-evolving (i.e., highly vulnerable) security regulations. Yet, with Friday came the announcement that the military will install a default policy allowing access to social media networking sites from non-classified military computer networks.
What does the new policy entail? All military units will be required to open access to networking sites, and any restrictions must be temporary. For the Army and Marines, which currently enforce restrictions and/or bans against most social networking sites, blanket regulations must be lifted. However, the policy leaves discretion to unit commanders, who, if uncomfortable with social networking, maintain the right ‘defend against malicious activity’, which will ultimately involve restricting access according to preference and circumstance (special operations, etc).
The military, it seems, recognizes that Web 2.0, ubiquitous in the civilian world, needs to be a part of military life. David Wennergren, Deputy assistant Secretary of Defense, argues that the military must “recognize the importance of balancing appropriate security measures while maximizing the capabilities afforded by 21st century Internet tools.” This decision has been championed by social media advocates who cite the advantages of staying connected— promoting information exchange across organizational boundaries and with mission partners, strengthening the connection between military executives and soldiers, and enabling deployed troops to contact loved ones at home. Admiral Mike Mullen, current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has a twitter feed with more than 16,000 followers. Likewise, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that he envisions the pentagon interacting with young military members, many of whom, due to their age, are already inclined to use social media in their non-military time.
However, critics raise a number of valuable points. Citing information leaks, the opening of gateways to hackers and a potential overload of the Defense Department’s network, critics bring to light the very real possibility of serious security risks. Especially with today’s technology, where seemingly harmless information can be passed throughout a network with ease. Yet Wennergren is confident that the addition of social networking to the list of acceptable forms of communication will not endanger military operations and employees, stating “you can’t just have the policy be that you’re going to block access to MySpace. Because there are 10,000 ways people could still compromise a mission — by making a phone call, or sending an email.” True. Even though there do exist qualitative differences between posting a picture on Facebook and making a phone call to your spouse.
In the end, social media integration is a valuable addition to any endeavor, especially when the organization relies on strong human and informational connections. The steps the military has taken are commendable, and may prove to open up valuable channels of communication. However, it appears that social networking amongst military ranks may have a short/ erratic life-span. Not because social media itself will prove to be dangerous, but as a result of deep-seeded distrust of any information-sharing device amongst among older military generations. An understandable mistrust, granted, but one that may hinder progress.
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The Military could always use the internet for private information. If you’re not hiding something then why bother?
not unless you installed a program for them …aside from the vpn client. However they can get a ton of info. Your public ip, where you went, how much data you moved, and which protocols you used.