We’ve seen some discussion in this forum concerning the press reports of banning social networking (towards the end of the transcript) and Web 2.0 sites from DoD systems and I want to reiterate a couple of points.

There are ongoing efforts across DoD to use social networking sites and Web 2.0 capabilities in an effort to inform interested communities of people about operations of the Department of Defense and the Uniformed Services. These have become integral tools in some day to day operations and have become commonplace to many people changing the way they communicate not only with friends and families, but with organizations and businesses. These tools have also facilitated a change in the way people inform themselves and gather news.

As with any new technology, there are vulnerabilities that arise as they are adopted and threats that emerge as they are adapted to operations. We have a responsibility to find the balance between the value and the vulnerabilities and to train for the threats we perceive. This blog is part of a larger effort to inform the policies and processes to ensure the responsible and effective use of emerging Internet-based capabilities.

Please share with us here your thoughts, experiences, research, and links as we work to find a responsible way to keep people informed and safe.