Posted on 03/24/2003 2:18:55 PM PST by grumple
These are websites that the Dept. of Defense, or other military command has deemed unsafe, threatening, and/or unauthorized and have issued a warning to the military community about. Please do not give any information on the sites that are listed below. The information from the DOD and military sources is included under the sites name, please read it and remember it. If you think there is a site that should be listed here, notify us or the Dept of Defense immediately to have the site reviewed. Thank you!
www.NACEC.org
THREAT: This website may be used for information gathering on US soldiers and family members for nefarious purposes.
This site is NOT associated with the federal government and should NOT be trusted. The site represents itself as being owned by a not- for-profit corporation (which means they haven't filed for non-profit status and made the necessary disclosures). The registrant for the website is an individual in Minnesota who may or not be an American national. DOD personnel should not enter any personal information on a non-federal website for emergency notification of families or any other reason.
Keep in mind it is a news channel not the DOD or the web site in question.
Web site under attack Updated: 03-18-2003 11:21:05 PM
The North American Center for Emergency Communication has provided a channel of communication starting in 1990 with Desert Shield and Storm. But last month, a Department of Defense memo blasted the Aurora, Minnesota web site. The memo led to death threats , hate mail and now, a retraction.
It’s hard to contact military members in the Persian Gulf. Yet Ed Addy made a connection from Aurora. He founded the North American Center for Emergency Communication during the Gulf War, first using radios for contact. Now he uses the Internet, helping troops contact relatives at home who may not have e-mail.
But three weeks ago, the Department of Defense message warned the site, www.nacec.org , could be a front for terrorists and should not be trusted.
"It really just toasts me, cause we've been working with military families and providing them help for 12 years" says Addy.
The concern was that Addy’s site once required soldiers to give their Social Security numbers in order to e-mail home. That raised a red flag with the Department of Defense. The message warned someone could use those Social Security numbers to gather information for terrorists. Addy immediately changed the system, removing the need to enter a Social Security numbers. But he says the damage is done.
"A telephone call if they had security concerns would have been much better than going globally and saying that we were a terrorist organization ," Addy said.
The e-mail has already flooded some military bases. Addy even says he’s received death threats.
"The word needs to get out to military families this is legitimate. This is nothing bad," Addy said.
The Department of Defense this week retracted its warning about the site. An FBI investigation also showed the site was legitimate. But for this organization, it may be too little, too late.
"The time is all volunteered to print these letters and take em to the post office. Nobody is making a nickel here, we're just doing this to help the troops, period," said Addy.
I know nothing of this site or anything of the people who run it, but I do consider it a non issue by result of the reporting on it by news hounds who alos have no ties to it whatsoever. The reason that the person may have used a social could easily be explained. Now, I could be totally wrong here but on many military web sites such as www.aafes.com where you buy items from the Military BX on-line you need a social security number. It is used to check against a database proving you are eligable to use it legally. Same for the EMSS program to look at pay and same for several others.
When an organization is trying to communicate with a soldier in the case of a family emergency it is a number used to make sure the right person is reached. Though I am still in the military and know of the Red Cross for this purpose, they are not the only ones allowed to try and make contact. Also, I do not know if the Red Cross uses the social security number either. If you go to the social security web page you will see only 7 (I'm pretty sure) instances where your social security number is required and the requirement is legitimate. All others are NOT. Every time some self-important busy-body know-nothing tries to tell me its the law that they have to have it or that they only use it for ID purposes I tell them the priavcy act of 78 and that there are only a very few limited agencies that can require it and that they must list me another way.
I don't get asked for a SS# much, but in those rare instances where I do and they don't have a right to it, I just make a number up. It's a lot easier than arguing with dweebs, and it pollutes their data. Same for web sites where they want to know your address, phone, age, etc., or those stupid grocery store discount cards.
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