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RAF MILDENHALL, England – Bearing the responsibility of both the Air Force mission and its airmen, the essential operations security program is challenged by modern technology.
OPSEC’s two biggest issues are information being shared on social media websites and geotagging of photos, according to Master Sgt. Joseph Johnson, 100th Air Refueling Wing OPSEC manager.
“The biggest problem with social media is that it thrives on gossip,” said Johnson. “People want everyone to know what they're doing and when they’re doing it.”
Posting the wrong information on social media websites doesn’t only endanger the Air Force’s missions, aircraft and people, it can also make airmen and their families more vulnerable to adversaries and criminals, said Johnson.
“Information posted to social media websites can be used by criminals, allowing them to determine your daily patterns,” said Johnson. “They’ll know when you're home or at work, on vacation, and even be able to tell when you’re deployed or TDY.”
Social media should be used to stay in contact with people who are already friends not to make new ones, said Johnson. It’s also best to implement the highest security measures that the website will allow.
"Social media is a great way to stay in touch with family and friends, but can also potentially cause harm if we put the wrong information out for the public to see," said Richard Blackledge, Wing Antiterrorism Officer chief. "We all need to be aware of what is being posted online and weigh any potential risks and consequences that may arise from sharing information that pertains to the Air Force, our professional and personal lives." Parents are advised to monitor the contents of children as well, the adversaries do.
Posting information that the wrong people can access is not the only way to harm the Air Force or themselves; posting geotagged photos can also be dangerous, said Johnson.
Geotagged photos are photos that have been embedded with file information such as the date, time or location that the photos were taken.
“With this geotagged data, every time you take a picture, shoot video and share it with your friends, you pass grid coordinates of where you did that action,” said Johnson. “When you post it on Facebook or other social media sites, the world has access to the exact location where you shot that footage.”
According to a press release from the U.S. Army, four helicopters were destroyed by mortar fire in 2007, while in Iraq, after geotagged photos of the new aircraft were uploaded to the Internet.
Most smartphones and newer cameras have geotagging capabilities which will work automatically, unless disabled by the user.
With the OPSEC team doing all they can to deter the wrong people from getting the right information, everyone should be doing what they can to help.
“As cheesy as it sounds, everyone makes up the OPSEC team,” said Johnson. “Everyone should take an active role in OPSEC including military, civilian and even our families.”
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2012 11:04 |
| Story ID: | 90539 |
| Location: | RAF MILDENHALL, ENGLAND, GB |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, The hidden dangers of social media, by SrA Ethan Morgan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
