MySpace use comes with risks

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Parker
  • 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) --  The online site MySpace offering individuals free membership to create a personalized Web page can also serve as a vulnerability for Air Force people to post personal information that can cause problems or risk operational security.

MySpace members can share personal photos and use it to catch up with old friends from college and high school, not to mention meet new people all across the world.

According to a statement from News Corp., MySpace's parent company, the site accounted for 4.46 percent of all U.S. Internet visits for the week ending July 8, pushing it past Yahoo Mail for the first time and outpacing the home pages for Yahoo, Google and Microsoft's MSN Hotmail.

In addition to networking with other individuals, the site allows its members to speak their minds by posting bulletins and Web-logs, or blogs, on whatever they want.

According to Special Agent Mike Koellner from Detachment 206 of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations here, disclosing too much personal information is increasingly dangerous with the threat of identity theft.

"A thief can piece information together little by little. If they have your mother's name and your birth date, it's not that hard to get your Social Security number," he said.

Fellow Special Agent Jared Whittenberg added, "You're putting yourself out there for all to see."

The Web site is a great tool to communicate with friends, said Agent Whittenberg, but servicemembers must be careful not to post information that violates military rules and regulations.

Part of the responsibility of being a member of Air Force is properly representing it on and off duty. According to Agent Whittenberg, approximately 30 individuals here have already found themselves in trouble for posting inappropriate information, such as solicitation of homosexual prostitution, sensitive operational information and promotion of underage drinking.

Agent Whittenberg said operational security violations are one of OSI's primary concerns.

In this day and age, maintaining OPSEC is critical to the nation's security, he said.

Posting information on deployments, numbers of troops in an area and aircraft capability can potentially put the nation at risk.

As a result of the increased popularity of MySpace, OSI now checks the site for incriminating information.

"We don't constantly monitor (MySpace), but if an individual is under question, we will check the site, along with many other databases," said Agent Whittenberg.

The agents' message is that sites like MySpace must be used responsibly.

"Servicemembers must remember they represent the military as a whole, 24 hours a day, and are responsible for what they post," said Agent Whittenberg. "The effects of what you do in the comfort of your own home can potentially have an impact worldwide."