Air Force 'Notice to Airmen' Warns Them Not to Read NSA Data-Mining and Related Stories

NewsBusters ^

[chessplayer]

In a story which I can attest is accurate, Gina Loudon at WND.com, formerly WorldNetDaily, reports that the Air Force's 624th Operations Center is warning airmen not to look at the news.

That's not exactly what they're saying, but they might as well be. What the "Notice to Airmen" says is that "Users are not to use AF NIPRNET systems to access the Verizon phone records collection and other related news stories because the action could constitute a Classified Message Incident." It's currently pretty hard to go to a news site without seeing a blurb on a "related story," given how many "related stories" there are which go way beyond Verizon to nine tech companies, 50 other companies, Edward Snowden, White House, congressional and bureaucrats' responses, etc.

The Air Force memo effectively keeps service members from accessing Drudge, the New York Times, the Associated Press, and virtually every other national and international news site's home page for the next several days -- if not weeks and months, at the rate things are going.

[Rodamala]

This was covered yesterday... a NOTAM is an FAA-issued instruction to civilian pilots.

[JaguarXKE]

This is crap. As in Barbara Streisand.

[OneWingedShark]

Life imitating art:

[Myrddin]

We got the notice as well in my shop. The data released is still classified, so if you download it to your unclassified computer, you've caused an incident. Just because the data has been made public doesn't mean it is declassified. As a cleared employee, you are only permitted access to data with a "need to know" and stored on a system cleared to that level. It's not worth losing your clearance.

[TheGunny]

WND is garbage!

[Yosemitest]

If youi're Christian and have NOT gotten out of the military akready, you'd better get out NOW, before it's too late.
God's wrath is coming!

[OneWingedShark]

We got the notice as well in my shop. The data released is still classified, so if you download it to your unclassified computer, you've caused an incident. Just because the data has been made public doesn't mean it is declassified. As a cleared employee, you are only permitted access to data with a "need to know" and stored on a system cleared to that level. It's not worth losing your clearance.

But it's not the data — it's the stories [about it] too.

[Yosemitest]

If youi're Christian and have NOT gotten out of the military already, you'd better get out NOW, before it's too late.
God's wrath is coming!

[CottShop]

It may be deemed as still ‘classified’ but the reality is thast it is no logner classified- it is now public knowledge- right or wrong- The public is aware of the material, but our soldeirs who are cited with protectign this coutnry are not to be made aware of what is now material that hte public is aware of? Doesn’t make sense-

[man_in_tx]

WND is garbage!

//////////////////

Correct: I, apparently as you also do, prefer to rely on the trustworthy Rachel Maddow for my news. /sarc

[Pentagon Leatherneck]

The entire DoD was instructed on this by a 7 June memo from DepSecDef. Downloads of the classified files to the unclassified “low side” or NIPRNET will constitute a data spill that will have to be manually removed from every device that accessed the data. Giant PITA with no practical benefits. Silly.

TC

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks chessplayer.

[napscoordinator]

Why do people feel they can use the internet for anything but working at work. Looking at the news at work should be illegal. The NIPR Net is a government owned system. Nobody should be reading the news at work.

[Flick Lives]

Looking at the news at work should be illegal.

Because there are never enough laws.

“Show me the man and I'll find you the crime”
Lavrentiy Beria

[RadiationRomeo]

Yes, It is about the classified information and only about the classified.

This isn’t about Obama, it isn’t about controlling what the servicemen see.

The same rule was invoked under Bush. It doesn’t matter if the classified information has become public, it is still classified. BTW: A service member must make a report to their commander if a member of their family downloads classified onto a home computer. This is treated very seriously.

[Dalberg-Acton]

Looking at the news at work should be illegal.

What if I'm self employed?

[Diogenesis]

This says not to read STORIES about it.

This is an attempt to put blinders on Obama’s KILL SQUADS.

[TheGunny]

They are both equally reliable news outlets. Nothing more than a bunch of sensationalists begging for folks to digest the tripe they are serving up for consumption.

[A.A. Cunningham]