OpenSource Connections
Category: Uncategorized
Today, the United States Marine Corps announced that it was banning its Marines from using social networking on the job. Citing security risks, the Marine Corps has said that it will block and ban social network sites while Marines are on the job, but doesnt stop them from doing so when theyre not at work.
To me, this seems to be a case of letting a small bad outweigh a large good. While I understand the desire not to expose Marine networks to hackers and not to expose secrets to the world at large, these are problems that the Marines and the military face on a daily basis. Simply banning the use of social networks while at work will only move the problem to a less scrutinized venue.
Here are 5 reasons that the Marines shouldnt ban social networking:
- The security risks arent going away. People are going to use their social networks at home if theyre not being used at work, so the same secrets will get out regardless. These transgressions will range from a slip of the tongue to intentional OPSEC violations but if these occur on government computers, then theres a better chance that theyll be caught sooner than if they occur at home.
- It sends the wrong message to todays Marines. The bottom line interpretation of this message, to the average Marine is “we dont trust you.” While todays Marines and soldiers are being asked to do more at lower ranks than they were in the past–a large amount of responsibility being placed in the hands of teenagers and twenty-somethings–this message implicitly says that for all of the responsibility, there is still no trust.
- It sends the wrong message to potential recruits. Recruiters want to go where the recruits are, and most of them are on social networks. Not allowing social networking sends the message that the Marine Corps is backwards and antiquated and doesnt care about what its like to be a youth in society.
- It keeps the Marines from knowing whats being said about them. Social media is turning into a major media outlet, and its often one that has a different take on events than mainstream media. By banning the use of social networks, the Marine Corps has hamstrung their own public affairs office from both telling a good story about the Marines and knowing what is being said in the arena of public opinion about them.
- It stifles a culture of innovation. Terrorists continue to innovate, and as is pointed out in the NDIAs own magazine, “to defeat terrorists, the military must innovate and disrupt [them].” By banning the use of an innovative means of collaboration and interaction, the Marines suppresses the culture that leads to the innovations needed to win post unilateral hegemonic conflicts.
I predict that in the end, the Marines, the Pentagon, and the government will come to some sort of compromise that allows limited usage. Giving up rights is part and parcel for live in the military; hopefully the sacrifice doesnt come at the cost of leaving a generation of future cyberwarriors behind.