Army Cracks Down on Soldier Blogs
According to Wired News, the U.S. Army has ordered soldiers to stop posting to blogs or sending personal e-mail without first clearing the content by a superior officer. The new rules (.pdf) state that failure to comply could result in a court-martial or "administrative, disciplinary, contractual, or criminal action." While the order seems unlikely to stop e-mails entirely, it has many pundits predicting the end of the wartime soldier blog.
Online communication has been an ongoing issue for the U.S. Armed Forces for several years: The need for classified information to remain classified versus the ability for the public to connect with the troops. With regulation becoming progressively tighter, many in the military are pulling the plug on their own blogs. Jeff Nudig, who was awarded the bronze star for his service in Iraq, tells Wired:
"If I'm a commander, and think that any slip-up gets me screwed, I'm making it easy: No blogs. I think this means the end of my blogging."
