Air Force Blocks Access to Blogs

[unhappycamper]

Air Force Blocks Access to Blogs
Military.com | By Bryant Jordan | February 28, 2008

Nearly three years after the Army took notice of Soldier blogs and began insisting the writer’s register with their chain of command, the Air Force is going in a different direction altogether: restricting which blogs its airmen may read.

But while the Army -- which now has regs requiring security reviews of blogs before publishing -- acted to keep sensitive information from getting out, the Air Force’s move appears driven by a desire to choose which news sources are legitimate.

According to the magazine, the Air Force maintains that blogs are not legitimate media outlets and so shouldn’t be available to Airmen at work.

As a result the Air Force Network Operations Center at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. - the so-called "Cyber Command" - has slapped a ban on all sites with "blog" in their URLs, the magazine Wired is reporting.

The magazine quotes a command official as saying Airmen may still access information sources outside official Air Force outlets, but only "primary, official-use sources."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,162995,00.html

[Maggie_May]

1. I am going to look into this

My son is in the Air Force and I am going to find out it they are being censored. I find this just outrages that they would do this.

[unhappycamper]

2. Please ask him if DU is blocked. n/t

[Maggie_May]

3. I will

If he can get a chance to get online this weekend. He is like not even my kid though he is not very politically in involved like mom. Now my daughter she is a Democrat all the way. But I will try to get him to long on to the DU I will bribe him tell him no more goods from mom LOL.

[FalconsRule]

4. Why should he be looking at

blogs while on an Air Force network? The network is for official business only; it's not censorship to restrict access to content.

[Maggie_May]

5. They get orders where they can go what they can look at

They have access to there own person personal computers. They do have computers though on base that the guys can use to email talk to family members or even study access personal info (Banks Credit ext). But they do receive info on certain thing they can and cannot do.

[FalconsRule]

6. I know. I spent 26 years in the AF

And the wife is still active duty. If he is using an AF provided network, the AF can restrict his access to various sites. That's the way it's always been (well, since the advent of computers).

[Maggie_May]

7. Yes but what if they are using there own network

Like using there own lab tops with a cingular connection are they still restrict to what they look at.

[FalconsRule]

8. Nope.

If it's his OWN computer on a commercial network, he can access any freaking website, blog, or page he likes. The AF can't and doesn't block that type of access.

They will, though, if it's on a Government network.