Chatting on Air Force Portal requires decorum

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  Airmen are chatting it up in growing numbers using the Air Force Portal’s instant messaging service.

But recent inappropriate comments made by some Airmen in chat rooms led officials to clarify responsible communication over the service.

“The majority of the 7,000 plus Airmen using (Air Force Instant Messenger) in a given week are using it exactly as it was intended,” said Maj. David Gindhart, Air Staff lead for the portal. “Unfortunately, a small group of individuals forgot that our core values, military decorum and professionalism still apply when in a chat room.”

It is no different than having a conversation on or off base, whether in uniform or not. Airmen cannot forget who they are talking to and that they are representing the Air Force, he said.

“This is especially troubling when ranks appear on the screen,” Major Gindhart said. “Some officers and senior (noncommissioned officers) forget they are setting the example for younger Airmen.”

Officials in the Air Force chief information office recently defined inappropriate use and clarified chat guidelines.

Inappropriate use includes sexual harassment, sexually explicit, or racist dialogue. In addition, while the instant messenger supports informal dialogue, the Air Force military rank structure establishes expectations for leader responsibility and accountability. Air Force Instruction 33-129, Web Management and Internet Use, covers the use of Internet resources by government employees. Military Equal Opportunity, AFI 36-2706, describes the limits of professional communication.

Certain controls and conditions have also been added, officials said. A warning banner reminds Airmen they have no expectation of privacy and use of the system is consent to monitoring. The service is limited to official and authorized appropriate use and cannot contain classified information or operational security information.

Chats may be logged, creating an official record. A self-monitoring system allows users to report misuse, but other forms of monitoring will take place, officials said.

Besides defining inappropriate use, officials listed specific prohibitions:

-- Activity that causes system degradation.

-- Inappropriate or offensive material.

-- Illegal activities.

-- Sexually explicit or sexually oriented material.

-- Business, fundraising, lobbying or political activities.

-- Abuse of intellectual property rights.

Some chat rooms violating the standards have been shut down. New chat rooms will go through a preapproval process that officials said should take one day. Any user can request a chat room, but those left idle 30 days or more will be deleted. Chat room operators will be notified to revalidate existing rooms, or face shutdown, officials said.

Portal officials said they encourage use that is consistent with policy, standards and core values. They said organizations across the Air Force are experimenting with new ways of doing business using the portal and instant messenger.

“For example, during inclement weather many groups continue to work by collaborating from home,” Major Gindhart said.

Some Airmen even use the system to control their supply chain. And, the Friend’s and Family Instant Messenger function that started in December has turned out to be a popular way for families back home to stay in touch with Airmen who are deployed, officials said.

“AFIM usage has many benefits because it is a real-time, low-bandwidth alternative to e-mail,” Major Gindhart added. “However, we must ensure it is used responsibly.

“If you're uncomfortable with the behavior in a chat room, or find it incompatible with Air Force core values, please don't hesitate to use the self-monitoring and reporting functions we’ve installed,” Major Gindhart said.