OPSEC Rules and Networking Safely

The recent influx of social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook are making it easier for military families to stay connected. Here at the command, many of us are connected through facebook, and with the implementation of the new EodWives website, we have a constant flow of information from there and Twitter.

However, with this increased interconnectedness arises a different issue, that of Operational Security, better known as OPSEC. Facebook alone has hundreds of millions of users. For someone who really wants to know information about a person, it isn’t hard to type in their name, mobile unit, or professional network and request to add them. Once they’re in the door, they can see what people post, what is posted on their wall, and sift through all of their pictures.

We in the military community  have to be very careful with the information we post online. We should never post movement dates, pictures with dates and locations or names that will readily identify others in the service. Our husbands do top secret work that should always be protected.

An article by the Washington Post uncovered private donation to Facebook from a private Russian company called  Digital Sky Technologies, which has headquarters in Moscow and London. DST has reached out to Facebook owners to invest millions. This is the first ever major investment of Russian money in the Silicon Valley. Sure this is a little Cold War-Red Scare-ish, but it is something to be wary of since Eastern Europe is a major source of online-based identity theft and because of political turmoil in the area and that of its allies, which include American hostile Venezuela.

Facebook now also allows third party advertisers to use personal pictures for public ads. Here is how to protect your pictures from Facebook third-party advertisers.

1. Click on “Settings” up at the top where you see the “Logout” link.
2. Select “Privacy”.
3. Select “News Feed and Wall”.
4. Select “Facebook Ads”.
5. In the drop down box, select “No One”. Then save your changes.
6. Please take the time to remove any pictures or information that would count as an OPSEC violation.

Even if you think it is miniscule, all an adversary needs is a little piece of the puzzle to put together an attack. There are so many ways that the enemy can gather intelligence these days that it is imperative we not make it easier for them to do so.

For more information about OPSEC and Facebook’s investor relations, go to the following websites:

• Facebook Mergers Aquisitions
• Washington Post Article on Facebook Russian Investors
• OPSEC Rules by Defend America

Carmen Grant is a military wife and SAHM. She writes about politics, personal finance, and PTA volunteering at Suite101.com.

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