Computers, phones and tablets. One click on these devices and information can be sent around the world in seconds. Whether it is public knowledge or not, the information, if in the wrong hands, can have dire repercussions.
Paige Smith | Contributing Writer
Senior psychology major, Kalin Granado and fiancé, Tyler Hiebner, met in San Diego in the summer of 2012. While out with her cousin one evening, she saw Tyler and knew she wanted to talk to him. She went up and started having a conversation with him. They hung out every night until she returned to APU, and soon after he was deployed.
“While he [Tyler] was deployed for 7 months we Skyped for as much as we could when he wasn’t working,” Granado said. “He couldn’t use his phone where he was deployed so we had to stick to Skype and Facebook messaging; I would have had a much harder time without Skype.”
Media sites that give couples the chance to communicate while one of them is deployed helps the distance seem minimal even though they could be thousands of miles away.
Daniella Banks, a sophomore music education major at Charleston Southern University, recently married John Banks, Machinist’s Mate Petty Officer 3rd Class. They met while on tour with Drum Corps International and remained in a long-distance relationship throughout their engagement while John was deployed.
“It’s [social media] the only way we can interact. The Internet works wonders with keeping loved ones in touch,” Banks said. “It’s really awesome to see his face over Skype or see what he’s up to on Facebook. It’s almost as effective as being in person.”
According to the U.S. Army’s Facebook page: “Soldiers are personally responsible for all content they publish on social networking sites, blogs or other websites. In addition to ensuring Army content is accurate and appropriate, Soldiers also must be thoughtful about the non-service related content they post, since the lines between personal and professional life often blur in the online space.”
For a soldier’s protection, their Facebook page should not reveal personal de- tails of where he or she is, especially on a network that could be hacked into during wartime.
We tend to stick to phone calls [or] texting when we’re not together, but sometimes if I post something on Instagram [or] Facebook he will comment on it or vice versa—but that’s usually the extent of it,” Granado said.
According to the U.S. Army’s Operations Security (OPSEC) and Safe Social Networking handbook, “Operations security and personal privacy concerns should be paramount when using social media.”
There are correct ways of going about keeping friends and family updated ac- cording to the U.S. Army. It is important not to send personal information or details that can damage the reputation of the Army through any type of social media platform.
Social media have been at the center of the warfare circle in a sly but obvious way, usually by a soldier or civilian who is simply tweeting about an event.
On May 1, 2011, Sohaib Athar became known as the man who live tweeted the Osama bin Laden raid. His first tweet was, “Helicopter hovering above Abottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).” The tweet that came within the next day was both humorous and historical. Athar wrote, “Uh oh, now I’m the guy who live- blogged the Osama raid without knowing it.”
Soldiers aren’t the only ones using social media to stay in touch with family and friends. The Army, as an entity , is also using social media as a recruiting tool for awareness and public relations purposes. It allows every soldier to share his or her personal Army story, and it allows America to connect with its Army.
Facebook privacy settings are constantly changing, so staying on top of the privacy updates is essential to making sure that soldiers are kept safe and out of harm’s way.
Nicole Harper, a student at Feather River College in Quincy, Calif. has multiple family members and close friends who are in the Army and the Navy. Harper uses social media to communicate with her family members while they are abroad.
“It [social media] gives them a sense of normality while they are off fighting in a strange place; they get to talk to their families and it helps them feel like at least one thing is normal,” Harper said.
Just as it is recommended for any individual on Facebook, the Army warns its military personnel about enemy eavesdropping: “America’s enemies scour blogs, forums, chat rooms and personal websites to piece together information that can harm the United States and its soldiers.”
The “friends only” option on Facebook is the safest way to post information online only to those few trusted individuals. Verifying that those individuals are truly who they claim to be is also important when it comes to making sure a hacker or an enemy is not out to harm the individual. Facebook photo albums that consist of specific locations as titles can be dangerous not only to the soldier but also to those friends and family members who are on Facebook.
Geotagging
Geotagging, placing the specific location of where one is through mobile devices, is a popular and almost invisible setting on social media sites that can be easily missed if individuals are not careful. Not only is it dangerous to military personnel, but it can also be damaging to civilians.
The U.S. Army Social Media hand- book states that geotagging is the equivalent to adding a 10-digit grid coordinate to a photograph telling where it was taken. This could reveal sensitive information about a location information that terrorists could use to target Soldiers or Army installations.
Geotags are automatically embedded on each post when pictures are posted, so soldiers must make sure the setting is off or else their location could easily be tracked.
Listen
The Army uses social media in order to not only communicate to the public but also to listen to what the community wants to say. The service asks for feedback and suggestions from the general public.
Social media, if used properly, can be the connection that helps soldiers and families stay in touch despite being thousands of miles away from their homes. Communication is important despite the location, but safety is also a priority when it comes to citizens.
Soldiers are encouraged to double check before posting online and review the potential long-term dangers of what could happen if the information gets into the wrong hands. If a quick post could affect the lives of family and friends, it is safe to say that Twitter can wait.