May 7th, 2007
Army backtracks somewhat on blogging restrictions
Last week, we wrote that the Army had issued new, restrictive rules around so-called milblogging, rules that forbid blog or photo posting without prior approval from a commander. And the rules applied to family members and private contractors, as well as active personnel.
Now it looks like the Army is backpeddling and Congress is even getting involved. David Axe wrote on Wired's Danger Room blog that the Army has issued a clarification that assures:
In no way will every blog post/update a Soldier makes on his or her blog need to be monitored or first approved by an immediate supervisor and Operations Security (OPSEC) officer. After receiving guidance and awareness training from the appointed OPSEC officer, that Soldier blogger is entrusted to practice OPSEC when posting in a public forum.
The statement establishes three conditions for unsupervised blogging:
- The blog’s topic is not military-related (i.e., Sgt. Doe publishes a blog about his favorite basketball team).
- The Soldier doesn’t represent or act on behalf of the Army in any way.
- The Soldier doesn’t use government equipment when on his or her personal blog.
Commenting on Wired's original story, Army spokesman Paul Boyce wrote:
We respect every Soldier’s First Amendment rights, while also adhering to Operations Security, known as OPSEC, considerations to ensure their safety on the battlefield. That said, we feel the need to clarify a few points made in the May 2 story titled, “Army Squeezes Soldier Blogs, Maybe to Death.”
The story stated Soldiers could not post blogs or send personal e-mail messages without first clearing the content with a superior officer. Simply put, personal e-mails don’t need approval by a superior officer prior to sending since they are private communication. Only an e-mail containing sensitive information that is later posted in a public forum would be of concern.
In addition, it is not the regulation’s intent for every blog entry to be approved by an immediate supervisor and operations security officer, but Army personnel do need to consult with an immediate supervisor and OPSEC officer when initially establishing their blogs so they are aware of OPSEC concerns.
It also mentioned, "Even soldiers' families — are all subject to the directive as well." To be clear, commanders cannot order Family Members to practice OPSEC. The intent is to ensure Family Members are aware of OPSEC to help safeguard critical and sensitive information. This helps to ensure Soldiers’ safety, technologies and current and future operations are not compromised.
Soldiers, Civilians, contractors and Family Members all play crucial roles to protect critical and sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. At stake is not a Soldier’s First Amendment rights, but rather his or her life as well as the lives of fellow Soldiers. I’m confident many Americans, if not all Americans, can understand that sentiment.
Axe also reported on his War is Boring blog that Senators Norm Coleman, Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint wrote to Defense Sec. Robert Gates expressing concern over the new rules. They wrote:
While the Army's new regulations rightly address the vulnerabilities created by this new medium, we are concerned that the regulations may also inadvertantly weaken what has proven to be a significant asset in our media age: the firsthand accounts of American military men and women on the ground.
