Facebook foils invasion; becomes the new “Loose status updates sink ships”

During World War II, US citizens were encouraged not to talk about locations or plans of our military for fear the enemy would hear. Much later, Geraldo Rivera would be chastised for drawing a map of where he was embedded with troops in Iraq. Today, an Isreali raid was called off when leaders were alerted to a Facebook update, which revealed the location.

“On Wednesday we clean up Qatanah, and on Thursday, god willing, we come home,” the soldier wrote.

Qutanah is a village in the West Bank and the raid was intended to find suspected militants. Facebook friends reported the questionable post to the military. Their plan potentially uncovered, the planners scrapped the mission.

The soldier has since been relieved of combat duty and will serve 10 days in prison. We suspect he was probably un-friended by a lot of folks too. How do you come back from that, an “I am sorry” post? Or simply kill the account and start over?

The issue highlights the inherent potential danger of social media and the military. The US has recently made changes that grant full access to sites such as Facebook so families can stay in touch. Previously, many sites were blocked for fear of just this type of mistake made that could put more soldiers in harms way.

“Service members and DoD employees are welcome and encouraged to use new media to communicate with family and friends — at home stations or deployed — but it’s important to do it safely. Keep in mind that everyone has a responsibility to protect themselves and their information online, and existing regulations on ethics, operational security, and privacy still apply. Be sure never to post any information that could be considered classified, sensitive, or that might put military members or families in danger.” – new Pentagon policy.

Read: [New York Times]