Agility Loop

This is a somewhat refreshing approach.  Rather than ban social networking services altogether like the Marines, the British military has decided to encourage their troops to Tweet or post on Facebook their experiences in the military.  This past week the MOD issued a 13 page document outlining the guidelines for using these services.  Granted, the document has a bit of a CYA tone for the higher ups, but at least it addresses the issue head on rather than bury its head in the sand like some organizations.  Instead you have the Marines who have banned it outright, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff still tweets and has said he will continue to do so.

Of course DoD has kicked off a study to determine the vulnerabilities of technologies like Facebook and Twitter.  Wish I got that cherry contract.

My thoughts on this issue are fairly simple.  If you simply prohibit an effective way for people to communicate, they will find another way to do it, and it will NOT be on your terms.  Instead users will find a workaround that is probably less secure. and may even expose your data and network more.