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U.S. Marines Ban Twitter, Facebook, Other Social Media Sites

by candice.tsuei | August 4, 2009 at 11:43 am

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The U.S. Marine Corps has banned Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and other social media sites to protect their systems and personnel from network security risks. The ban, issued Monday, is effective immediately and will last at least one year.

The Associated Press has learned that the move is part of a larger Pentagon review. Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn last week ordered a review of both the threats and benefits of using social networking — and asked it be done by the end of the month.

Although the Pentagon's website contains a link to its Facebook page and its Twitter feed from its public public affairs chief, and many military branches use popular social media sites in attempt to connect with young people and to counter the Taliban and al Qaeda's propaganda in Afghanistan and Iraq, Lynn said that there are challenges and risks that must be mitigated.

According to Wired magazine, the Marine Corps order reads,

"The very nature of SNS [social network sites] creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage that puts OPSEC [operational security], COMSEC [communications security], [and] personnel... at an elevated risk of compromise."

Marines are still allowed to access to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites for private use on their personal computers outside of work.

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A. Tran

at 11:54 on August 4th, 2009

Thanks for this story. Apparently, the government is aware of these inconsistent policies regarding computer technology applications, and cyber-security among various branches, including the State Department.

Beaulieu

at 13:15 on August 4th, 2009

Oh well, they will just meet a pretty woman whilst drunk in a pub and hey presto, a Marta Hari type situation. Who needs a Twitter ban when there are a host of other alternatives? Anyway, weren't these 9/11 pilots working for the US military anyway? I think they should start with better references.