Military blocks Certian sites: Strike Angry

[Strike For The South]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/interne....ap/index.html

If this isnt a violation of rights I dont know what is. "Slowing the system down" ya ok. Someone needs a thumpin

[HoreTore]

Heh... It's the same all over the world I believe... The army here even cut off the live footy results from our biggest national paper(vg.no), on the grounds that it was "promoting gambling" during the second half of my conscript year... It made people angry.

Doing stuff like this doesn't really help with morale... A friend of mine who was in afghanistan said he would probably go insane if he didn't have access to MSN.

[KukriKhan]

Strike Angry

Kukri none too happy either. mySpace is what we've used to stay in contact with my son in Iraq.

Army Times version of the article

[Xiahou]

I can imagine how it'd be a further inconvenience for soldiers and families, but the explanation given is also totally understandable. IIRC, MySpace in particular had some serious virus, spyware concerns recently. And if traffic from Youtube, ect are bogging down their network, they need to block/restrict them.

No one would bat an eye if a private company did this- I don't buy the free speech argument for a second. OTOH, I agree that it sucks for those that communicate with soldiers from these sites.

[KukriKhan]

We'll find another way to stay in contact; it's just ironic that DoD uses both youTube and mySpace for recruiting and PR functions.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

If the military's bandwidth is under attack from the internet, shouldn't they move it off of the internet, to their own private network? The article made it sound like "Oh noez we've lost our orders because someone needed to see if ArmyGuy1829834 has updated his friends list."

[Devastatin Dave]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/interne....ap/index.html

If this isnt a violation of rights I dont know what is. "Slowing the system down" ya ok. Someone needs a thumpin

LOL, this is beyond a non story. Sites have ALWAYS been blocked. When you are using a GOVERNMENT computer, it should be FOUO (for official use only). The system administrators block sites that could have a risk. Where in the story did it say that you couldn't use your PERSONAL computer. CNN is trying to feel better about itself for being the terrorists propoganda agency by whipping up a BS story. This is very funny actually. I can't access myspace or even yahoo mail at my work, its been like that for years. Hell, when I came in back in 95, you couldn't access sports pages like espn. Back in WW2, they read you mail to and from. After all we are at war, well atleast some believe believe so, and sometimes we have to make sacrifices like not getting comments on how cool your background looks on your myspace page or how nifty your latest song bit sounds. Its the DOD's computer and infrastructure and with all the leftists that have a boner for the jihadists out there and, God, if you guys could only see the log of the average DOD filewall attacks, then this would make more since to some of you... maybe.

It would be great if more people got pissed about those crazy religion of peace folks that are killing "our" troops (you know the ones that people say they support a lot, even though they want to see them lose) instead of a DOD system administrator trying to block virus from toasting an important comm.

[HoreTore]

Devastatin Dave: The computers and phones in Iraq and Afghanistan are government property of course, but letting soldiers use them for personal stuff is incredibly important for morale. It simply makes people happy and safe. If you take that away, you'll make people angry.

[Major Robert Dump]

you can still use your personal equipment to use these sites.

[HoreTore]

That would depend on where you are. Personal electronics + classified area isn't a good combo.

[Fragony]

Doing this makes perfectly good sense to me but maybe that's just me. It's an info war.

[Devastatin Dave]

Devastatin Dave: The computers and phones in Iraq and Afghanistan are government property of course, but letting soldiers use them for personal stuff is incredibly important for morale. It simply makes people happy and safe. If you take that away, you'll make people angry.

I was deployed for a year and had my PC. I spanked my mokey like it owed me money (thanks wifey for the webcam lovin!!!), I couldn't do that at work of course, because it was a GOVERNMENT computer. Again, this is a non story. What hurts the morale of troops is giving them lip service about supporting them and at the same time telling them they are doing the wrong thing and that you want to cut their funding and hoping them to fail their mission. I'm glad I'm out.

[Devastatin Dave]

That would depend on where you are. Personal electronics + classified area isn't a good combo.

Your tent/dorm/barracks aren't classified areas.

[Mikeus Caesar]

Strike Angry, Military blocks Strike.

[Del Arroyo]

Um, I'm not sure what government computers y'all have been using, but as far as I know, MySpace et al have always been blocked. So what is new about this? And according to the article the "decision" (which according to my knowledge was implemented months/years ago) doesn't affect the private internet cafes or personal computers, which is how most people have been accessing MySpace anyway.

Added to that, internet over here seriously sucks so if they've found a way to let the people actually doing work access information more easily, good on them. Thirdly, if you are in the military you have very few rights, they could confine you to your barracks incommunicado indefinitely if the appropriate commander deemed it a military necessity.

So to this thread I say:

[KukriKhan]

It's for OPSEC. OK.

The network & machines are gov't property. Check.

Soldiers have no rights. Hmmm. Fine.

The bandwidth is needed to monitor drone feedback. Good enough for me, though I was unaware that the most powerful nation in the world couldn't afford to build more bandwidth.

Like I said: We'll just find another way to seek reassurance in the face of daily reports of soldiers' deaths, abductions, etc, and just add this inconvenience to the list of tiny indignities military families tolerate.

[Devastatin Dave]

Like I said: We'll just find another way to seek reassurance in the face of daily reports of soldiers' deaths, abductions, etc, and just add this inconvenience to the list of tiny indignities military families tolerate.

Which is why I don't tolerate it anymore and enjoy full rights as a citizen and don't have to be inconvenienced that comes with the military life. Sorry Kurkri, hope he gets home soon.
PS. The three B's are Bombs, Bullets, and Beans. Bandwidth's not really on the list.

[Del Arroyo]

The bandwidth is needed to monitor drone feedback. Good enough for me, though I was unaware that the most powerful nation in the world couldn't afford to build more bandwidth.

The most powerful nation in the world also can't manage to simply not kill all of the grass and eucalyptus trees and date palms where it lives. There are food shortages in Baghdad, while US units already getting fat off the chow halls are bombarded weekly with more junk food than they could eat in two deployments time. Strange world.

But in practical terms, networks here all connect to the www through satellites, and bandwidth is both limited and expensive. The internet in many offices which rely on it is already very slow.

[rotorgun]

As it is often said to many a soldier:

"Don't complain.....after all, you volunteered- remember?"

Seriously, if you are involved in an in theater military operation, than it is sometimes essential that you put up with censorship and information control.
When you are on your own time back in the world, then that is your business.
It's all part of being in those "government boots man". Yeah it sucks, but....so does letting the enemy have harmful information.

[KukriKhan]

Yeah, I know guys. Hell, when I was deployed in the 70's and 80's we were lucky to get a mail-drop every other week, so this won't be so bad.

The three B's are Bombs, Bullets, and Beans. Bandwidth's not really on the list

ROFL. It reminds me an old crusty supply Sgt:

"Nothing's too good for the troops!... And, by god, I'll see to it that that's just what they'll get!".

[Devastatin Dave]

Yeah, I know guys. Hell, when I was deployed in the 70's and 80's we were lucky to get a mail-drop every other week, so this won't be so bad.



ROFL. It reminds me an old crusty supply Sgt:

"Nothing's too good for the troops!... And, by god, I'll see to it that that's just what they'll get!".

Looks like things haven't changed much my friend. I hope you don't feel I'm making light about your Son's deployment. The internet is basically the letters and postcards from yesteryear. I hope he gets home safe, sound, and SOON.
Whats funny, I joined the Org back when I was in Korea and thank God they didn't block that sight from me because I needed to share my vast knowledge of tea bagging mothers and gay sex with sheep. Boy I've been such a great contributer to our little community!!!

[PanzerJaeger]

It would be great if more people got pissed about those crazy religion of peace folks that are killing "our" troops (you know the ones that people say they support a lot, even though they want to see them lose)

[KafirChobee]

Yep, if we allow the troops YouTube .... the terrorists win.

Perfect sense. Eh?

[Lord Winter]

Almost everyone missed this. Soliders can still send email home from the DoD network and if they need to still access youtube and such at Internet cafes.

Memos about the change went out in February, and it took effect last week. It does not affect the Internet cafes that soldiers in Iraq use that are not connected to the Defense Department's network.

The cafe sites are run by a private vendor, FUBI (For US By Iraqis).

Also, the ban also does not affect other sites, such as Yahoo, and does not prevent soldiers from sending messages and photos to their families by e-mail.

[Zaknafien]

edit

[rotorgun]

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. All you have to do is tell them they’re being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism. It works the same way in any country.”--Hermann Goring

How very apt. It seems I have heard this somewhere around here. Oh yes, in the US Congress and from the Cheneyites.