Image by the Bubblearmy: www.twitter.com/bubblearmy

The US military is to allow its troops to use social media sites, arguing the benefits outweigh the security concerns.

A review of the military’s internet use will lead to the unblocking of several websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Although the decision applies only to the military’s non-classified network, it could mean big changes to parts of the army which have selectively banned social media in the past.

David Wennergren, a deputy assistant secretary of defence, told Reuters that more consistency was needed in the military’s approach to social media.

He said: “The purpose of the policy is to recognize that we need to take advantage of these Internet-based capabilities. These Web 2.0 tools need to be part of what we use.”

An authority is reserved for commanders to temporarily block access to sites to safeguard missions or save bandwidth.

The move recognises the need to strike a balance between sharing information and security. According to Wennergren, training people to use the internet is more effective than an overall ban.

He said: “You can’t just have the policy be that you’re going to block access to MySpace. Because there are 10,000 ways people could still compromise a mission — by making a phone call, or sending an email”

The Twitter star of the US military is currently Admiral Mike Mullen who has over 16,000 followers. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff provided updates via Twitter on relief activities in Haiti.

Source: The Independent, BBC