A Directive-Type Memorandum from the office of Deputy Secretary of Defense outlines the Pentagon’s new policies on use of social media like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. The decision applies only to the military’s non-classified network.
This policy follows a seven-month review in which the Defense Department weighed the threats and benefits of allowing the wide use of emerging Internet capabilities.
This new directives will reverse the nearly three-year ban on access to bandwidth-heavy sites such as MySpace, YouTube and dozen other sites. The access to Prohibited content sites – those featuring gambling, pornography, hate-crime activities – will remain blocked.
The new directive allows commanders to cut off access - on a temporary basis – whenever required to safeguard a mission or reserve bandwidth for official use.
“We need to take advantage of these capabilities that are out there – this Web 2.0 phenomena,” said David M. Wennergren, deputy assistant secretary of defense for information technology. “The idea is be responsible and use these tools to help get the job done.”
[Source: Washington Post, Defense.gov ]
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