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Is MySpace Your Space? Not If You're In The Military

Just two weeks after the Army restricted troops from blogging, on Friday the Department of Defense announced that social networking, from MySpace to YouTube, is now off limits.

The memo says that the use of social networking and recreational websites "strains network capabilities and present operational risks." Never mind that they provide a connection for troops to family, friends, home.

The sites to be blocked worldwide include MySpace and YouTube as well as MTV, Pandora, 1.fm, Live365 Internet Radio, Photobucket, hi5, Metacafe, ifilm, BlackPlanet, StupidVideos, and FileCabi. Some curious choices. BlackPlanet, the "largest online community for African Americans," is now offline, undergoing maintenance. Photo-sharing sites, funny videos, a few music sharing outfits, all banned. Why not iTunes? You can get music there too. Some say the list is longer than the 13 announced last week and this is only the beginning.

YouTube, for one, plans to meet with the DoD to discuss the ban. For now troops overseas, and those on base here at home, can't access their own social networks, cutting off yet another lifeline for those who need them the most.

Comments

First they embed. Then they bully msm. Now they don't allow subjects to be in control of their own narritive in "free" spaces...

You could understand this being for "security" reasons if"security" weren't such a one-size-fits-all canard...

Posted by: Kath W on 05/16/07 at 2:57 PM

Is it that they are restricting access to these sites only on department of defense computers/network? Or restricting access to them by military personnel. For example, could a soldier in Iraq go to an internet cafe and put up a blog? If s/he could, then it is a matter of use of military property (computers and network)--many employers do this. If not, then it is control of communication.
Of course if there is no extra-military availability of internet access, then the two are one and the same.

Posted by: Andrea on 05/16/07 at 4:54 PM

A bigger question is: are they barred from reading information or for posting information? Do they want to keep the military stupid? Or do they want to keep the civilian community stupid? This wouldn't be headline news if it were strictly military computers. That can easily be monitored through the chain of command.

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Is MySpace Your Space? Not If You're In The Military

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