US army cuts access to Youtube, Myspace

[PK8]

Source:http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=11&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=23286

US soldiers serving overseas will lose some of their online links to friends and loved ones back home under a department of defence policy that a high-ranking army official said would take effect today.

The defence department will begin blocking access worldwide to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other popular websites on its computers and networks, according to a memo sent Friday by General BB Bell, the US Forces Korea commander.

The policy is being implemented to protect information and improve security as well as reduce drag on the department's networks. "This recreational traffic impacts our official DoD network and bandwidth ability, while posing a significant operational security challenge," Bell said in the memo.

The armed services have long barred members of the military from sharing information that could jeopardise their missions or safety, whether electronically or by other means. The new policy is different because it creates a blanket ban on several sites used by military personnel to exchange messages, pictures, video and audio with family and friends.

Members of the military can still access the sites on their own computers and networks - but defence department computers and networks are the only ones available to many soldiers and sailors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iraqi insurgents or their supporters have been posting videos on YouTube at least since last autumn. The army recently began posting videos on YouTube showing soldiers defeating insurgents and befriending Iraqis. (PTI)

 

[Andy6000]

Punk, I find these stories interesting, but if you post every piece of news that crops up, this forum won't be General Discussion, it'll be 'General News and Your Thoughts On It'.

But yeah the US military is generally just made up of assholes when it comes to allowing luxuries to random troops. My brother's in South Korea right now and they're basically screwing him into serving an extra year on top of what he signed up for (which if it goes through means a guaranteed second tour to Iraq for him).

 

[madmax_vii]

Just gives you another reason not to join the military....

 

[blackiceadept]

Just gives you another reason not to join the military....

Do you really need more then "you're probably gonna get killed fighting for a cause you don't support"?

 

[Dopples]

That's a poor excuse for not joining the military. There are multiple reasons to join it that are, infact, positive. Paying for college is one such reason.

 

[arcthemonkey]

My brother's in Iraq right now, and it gonna be sitting on like $70,000 when he gets home.

Some people like the military, you know.

 

[Cruelty]

Fuck yeah. My dude joined the Army. He's in Iraq right now, and his ass is gonna be fuckin hoodrich when he gets home.

juggalo with money = uncommon

From what he told me, the army will help you get a house and all that good shit, too. Now he just has to bring his ass home. =\

 

[Unrivaledneo]

I am in the army right now for those who do not know. Been to Iraq once for a 18 month tour, and for those who like to trust everything on TV. Iraq is not as bad as they make it sound. Alot has changed over the past several years. It is more americanized than anything. I traveled all over Iraq, but the news only shows the bad stuff when/If it happens you never hear about all the good stuff that goes one there. Yes at times there are incidents, but not as often at the news makes it seem.

Iraq is great for saving up money i think i came home with about 50k plus depends on Rank too.

The college thing is a great point, mot of the people in my Unit joined for the GI bill, which if you do not know it money they give you for college. 650000. It is used JUST for you education, but while u are in the military they pay for it anyway so you still have that nice chunk of chane when u get out.

Anyway not telling people to join the Army, just want to give some insight from a man who has seen it all.

 

[Cruelty]

Unrivaled = good insight. =D

I wanted to enlist, unfortunately I'm not allowed.

 

[Unrivaledneo]

Sorry to hear your are not allowed, but I tell the same to anyone who wants to join, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT! Take the time to research trust me, I made the same mistake, I knew what I wanted, but Lack of Sleep + Confusing words = BAD CHOICE! Yea, you will want to party the night before, we all did, but they wake you ass up early in the morning to fill out the paper work, MEPS FYI, do not be afraid to say no, you can leave and come back at a later date once you figure out what you want. I had a Job lined up, but they change the Job codes and I got confused and went along with what ever job they said wat the same one. BAD Idea!

Each Job in the army is section into code 11b is infatry. the Whole 11 series is basicaly just different parts of infatry. I joined as a 25 series which is communications. but there are diff parts/ areas of each "school". So just make sure you know what you want before you sign for uncle sam.

 

[Rain]

It is more americanized than anything.

Not meaning to sound rude, but is that necessarily a good thing?

 

[Unrivaledneo]

Not meaning to sound rude, but is that necessarily a good thing?

To us it seems fine, but what they are not realizing is what they are doing to the Muslims. Think about it, if some Army came into the US and tried to make OUR country like there's. How would that make us feel. The muslims are VERY religious people. They live and die by there beliefs, why do you think so many soliders died in Iraq at the start, cause we where trying to turn there country into "ours" so to speak. Take baghdad for instance. it is 3x the size of what it was durng the start of the war. We "The US" Just need to get out of there. Let them live there lives.

 

[___]

@OP's news story: I would question whether this measure will effectively reduce recreational traffic or just redirect it to other sites. I definitely understand the problems the DoD is dealing with as I got to deal with some of the consequences when I was working for them. Also remember the old-hat veterans who are running the show are mostly old conservative fogies, and in their minds they didn't get to talk on some newfangled internet to their family in friends while they were overseas, they don't see the need for these resources to be wasted on their soldiers.

I don't know that I could come up with a better way to do this, and I have heard that some places in Iraq have internet cafes that the soldiers use now so they're not entirely cut off. But I doubt if it will help very much.

 

[Mascarpone]

I don't want to jump on the band wagon of "@#$! the army!" but There are allot of things i dislike about the military.

Don't mistake me, I support the men and women of our nation who are fighting for their country however I feel that one should be VERY sure that it is what you want to do with your life. And to join the army based mostly on the financial aspect is shaky if you ask me. Look what happened to Vietnam veterans?

Now i know that that's a different scenario, it was a draft army back then but it wouldn't be completely inconceivable for the government to realize "oh hey we just decided we cannot in fact maintain or end of the bargain, sux 2 beee j00!"

Back to the topic at hand, I can see logical reasoning for limit access to something like Myspace. While it -is- a way to keep in contact with people you know, it is also unnervingly distracting. To put it in perspective: Do you remember in high school (and even in college for me now, which is a sad statement btw) the vast majority of students in any computer lab class ignore lecture to surf the web and Myspace/play flash games? Now, look at where the target audience of most military recruitment is: young men and women out of high school looking for some way to afford the rapidly increasing costs of the ever more necessary college education. Now considering that computer information technologies are now HUGELY integrated into our military, can you see a problem with Myspace?

Just running a hypothetical scenario :p

 

[___]

Now, look at where the target audience of most military recruitment is: young men and women out of high school looking for some way to afford the rapidly increasing costs of the ever more necessary college education. Now considering that computer information technologies are now HUGELY integrated into our military, can you see a problem with Myspace? Just running a hypothetical scenario :p

College education made ever more neccessary by private and government drives to require higher education for every freaking position that doesn't involve a spatula, a hairnet, and plastic gloves in lieu, one might add But the problem isn't really MySpace specifically. The problem is that people are screwing off on the job on government time and taxpayer money. Maybe in order to save money on IT services the government should make efforts to increase productivity. Banning a few popular websites is a typical deflection-of-responsibility knee jerk reaction.