## 2 The Need for Secure Military Social Networking  
In January 2010, as a result of a request under the Freedom of Information Act, it was reported that in the preceding 18 months the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) had identified 16 separate occasions where classified information had been leaked via social networking sites. Whilst the majority of MOD administered computer networks do not allow access to social networking sites there are a number of \"cyber cafes\" established within deployment zones abroad that allow free internet access. In the US, the Fleet and Family Support Centre of the US Navy gave the following advice to Facebook members related to military personnel:  
_\"It is not unprecedented for spouses and family members of U.S. military personnel to be targeted for intelligence collection. This is true in the United States and especially true overseas. Navy family members all know some bits of critical information. It may not be classified, and it may even seem insignificant. But, to the potential adversary, it is a piece of the puzzle. The power of emerging media tools is a two-edged sword: It makes information exceptionally accessible when posted-for anyone who is interested, including potential adversaries.\"_  
([[http://www.cnic.navy.mil/CNIC_HQ_Site/WhatWeDo/FleetandFamilyReadiness/FamilyReadiness/FleetAndFamilySupportProgram/CNICD_A065894](http://www.cnic.navy.mil/CNIC_HQ_Site/WhatWeDo/FleetandFamilyReadiness/FamilyReadiness/FleetAndFamilySupportProgram/CNICD_A065894)]([http://www.cnic.navy.mil/CNIC_HQ_Site/WhatWeDo/FleetandFamilyReadiness/FamilyReadiness/FleetAndFamilySupportProgram/CNICD_A065894](http://www.cnic.navy.mil/CNIC_HQ_Site/WhatWeDo/FleetandFamilyReadiness/FamilyReadiness/FleetAndFamilySupportProgram/CNICD_A065894)) accessed on 15 December 2011)  
In 2012, India with its third largest active military in the world banned its army from social media of all flavours following threats to national security when four naval officers divulged confidential information on social media. Such measures are now becoming a global scenario with countries like Korea also issuing guidelines to its soldiers on safe use of social media. Operational Security (OPSEC) and Personal Security (PERSEC) policy documents have been developed and circulated by both the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the US Department of Defense (DOD) in relation to social networking. A number of explanatory documents designed to assist military personnel and their families on OPSEC and PERSEC issues related to social networking have been published during the past few years. Most recently, the UK MOD issued advice on the dangers of a Facebook tool called \"Places I checked into\". The tool, which has automatically been activated on all Facebook profiles, uses the IP address and a geo-locating system to identify the user's login location which is then displayed on their Facebook profile. The example given of the dangers this poses to military personnel and their families includes the name of the military barracks and a map of the actual location. The document further describes the security concerns:  
_\"The main concern relating to the use of the application is that it may inadvertently compromise the locality of a military user. Of significant note, users on operations or in Northern Ireland are potentially putting themselves at risk by drawing attention to their exact whereabouts.\"_  
([[http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/10/01/mod_facebook_places.pdf](http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/10/01/mod_facebook_places.pdf)]([http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/10/01/mod_facebook_places.pdf](http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/10/01/mod_facebook_places.pdf)) accessed on 15 December 2011)  
Poignantly, our paper is written on the very day a young policeman was killed by a car bomb outside his home in Northern Ireland. The US DOD civilian guidelines define 10 OPSEC points relevant to social networking:  
_Don't discuss current or future destinations/ ports of call/deployment base. Don't discuss current or future operations or missions.