Corps pushes tighter Internet ban than Pentagon - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Corps pushes tighter Internet ban than Pentagon

The Defense Department has loosened guidelines on the use of social-networking Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but Marine officials say a servicewide ban on them remains in place with limited exceptions.

The recently released Pentagon policy said the Defense Department’s nonclassified computer network should be configured to provide access to social-networking sites, but the Corps is still researching whether any revisions to its existing policy should be made, said Gunnery Sgt. Brenda Varnadore, plans chief for Marine Corps headquarters public affairs.

“Social media has a place in the Marine Corps, and we intend to use the tools available,” said Maj. David Nevers, a spokesman for Commandant Gen. James Conway. “The commandant’s first concern, however, is the security of the Marine Corps’ network. Our interest in promoting the use of social media must not trump our responsibility to manage risks.”

The Corps’ ban was put in place in August through Marine administrative message 458/09, prohibiting social networking by all Marines on the Corps’ unclassified Marine Corps Enterprise Network unless a waiver was granted. The only waiver issued thus far has been to Marine Corps Recruiting Command, which has turned Facebook into a valuable tool, said Maj. Chris Devine, a recruiting command spokesman.

The MarAdmin specifically cites Facebook, Twitter and MySpace as potential problems, saying social networking “creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage,” putting operational security in danger.

At the same time, the Corps continues to heavily promote its use of social networking on its Web site. These networking accounts, however, are run by public affairs, who update accounts via non-network computers.

The continuation of the ban raises questions about what the Corps plans to do on the Internet.

On one hand, the service has expanded its social-networking presence in recent months, sharing more information on Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and other sites. It also has encouraged operational units to submit their pages on a social-networking list on the Corps’ Web site, and a popular page on Twitter managed by Marine Corps headquarters — www.twitter.com/USMC — recently was nominated as a finalist in the government category of the Shorty Awards, billed as “The Oscars of Twitter,” before losing to Cory Booker, the popular mayor of Newark, N.J.

On the other hand, the Corps’ ban stifled the use of many of its existing pages last year, resulting in a decline in activity on them, according to a study of the military’s Facebook use released March 3 by Janson Communications, an independent firm based in Manassas, Va. The severity of the decline was not characterized in the report. The drop occurred even though public affairs officers are still authorized to post on many pages, such as active accounts that the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., maintains on Facebook and Twitter.

Additionally, the service has set aside Twitter and Facebook accounts for Conway and Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, the Corps’ top enlisted Marine, but they are not being used.

“We wanted to ensure we at least secured our preferred account name,” said Gunnery Sgt. Fred Zimmerman, a Kent spokesman. “We are currently discussing going active with the accounts and how best to implement them, and of course, will be mindful of the Corps’ evolving policy on social networking.”

Nevers said that while “the commandant himself is unlikely to be tweeting,” he recognizes the value in social networking. Other Defense Department officials, including Adm. Mike Mullen, Joint Chiefs chairman, already have embraced it, and actively post messages on Twitter and Facebook.