The US Department of Defense issued a memo last week that states it intended to begin blocking network access -- including that of soldiers serving overseas -- to several popular "Internet entertainment sites" from yesterday.
The 12 sites to be blocked, according to a story in the Associated Press, include several large social networking and media sharing sites like MySpace, YouTube, MTV, Pandora, and Photobucket.
The Department of Defense cite security reasons. So does China with what their citizens can see on the World Wide Web. I doubt these soldiers and marines want al-Qaeda to know their movements. It's most likely to stop the negative PR from graphic images of dead Iraqis.
Update: a reader pointed out that the DoD official reason for not allowing access to Myspace and Youtube is bandwidth. Not security reasons.
Censorship sux. Heaven forbid that these troops post about their experiences or try to connect with the folks back home.
ReplyDeleteMixter
I read that they (perhaps additionally) cited that 'entertainment' was taking up 'too much bandwidth'.
ReplyDeleteSo, our troops can DIE for us but not be entertained. hmmmmmm.
The MySpace is how many are keeping in touch with their families.
This is a renewed blackout of what went on when they weren't showing the returning flag-draped coffins. We were seeing canadian flags draping coffins but no american ones. We all raised hell and we need to raise hell AGAIN.
Please state the facts correctly, instead of spinning them like Fox News. The sites were blocked due to bandwidth(whether that is true or not). The military has censored military blogs citing security issues but that is a different story.
ReplyDeleteBandwidth. How convenient. This coming from the same military that swore up and down about how those WMDs must exist...
ReplyDeleteEver since (or maybe especially since) Vietnam, when the military officially says one thing the opposite is probably more accurate.