Posted on 03/29/2003 9:24:46 AM PST by Travis McGee
We received this mass-forwarded e-mail recently from someone we never heard of, along with about 20 military email addresses.
"Hi everyone,
"Forgive me for hijacking part's of *****'s email list, I just wanted to pass along that I heard from ***** today, after a week's silence...it was so good to hear her voice...
"They're doing great out there-- ***** said they're handling some rough things--but everyone's holding on and it's going ok. She indicated they're busy, but "not as busy as you think" (referring to me)....good news for all of us. They are able to receive email, apparently even when the comm pipes are closed off, though they may not be able to respond (to my Navy friends, I guess you're aware of all this, but it's all new to me). Of course, snail mail is always appreciated.
"If anyone cares to write, just address to &&&&&, %%%%%, #####, ++++++, or whoever, the unit they're working in, and then the ship as below:
(complete military unit address here.)
"My Rank, Name and Location."
The person who originally emailed this person must share "credit", for giving him a long CC: list containing military email addresses to copy and forward his message to.
This information must now be considered to be out in the public domain. Our enemies in Baghdad or Detroit or anywhere in between can put these names and military email addresses into any search engine and find that military person's rank, position, work assignment, home address, family information etc.
If I was on active service in Iraq or Kuwait or Afghanistan or at sea, I would be livid to know that numbskulls were virtually posting my family's stateside address on the worldwide web.
Any terrorist cell in the USA could use this info to learn of families left behind defenseless, to target them for attack or kidnapping.
Folks, we are in a new kind of war today, and we must not endanger our military families by stupidly posting the names and military email addresses randomly (even if unintentionally) to strangers on the internet.
Please forward this post to military personel that you know; we need to stamp out this stupidity before our military families become the targets of terrorist attacks. There is no reason to help our enemies to develop target lists.
Let's tighten up our operational security in how we use the internet.
Our enemies are taking notes. Don't give them targeting information.
Please forward this post to military personel that you know; we need to stamp out this stupidity before our military families become the targets of terrorist attacks. There is no reason to help our enemies to develop target lists.
You forgot to mention to used the BCC (blind copy) to forward this warning, or you will be committing the same offense you are complaining about.
It is amazing to me the television comments being made about embedded reporters.
Now I don't know what the journalistic status is of these fellows and whether their status as journalists would even confer some sort of prefered treatment in this war in Iraq. But I do know that the networks, including Fox, are giving out some very imprudent info on these fellows.
Yesterday alone, I heard two comments on Fox about actions of these journalists that would give the Iraqi reasons to treat them as spys. One comment was even from Oliver North about one of his own traveling team.
Another was about an arabic speaking journalist aiding questioning of captured POWs--not interviewing, but questioning.
I hope the media picks up on their own thoughtlessness and keeps such comments to themselves.
Many folks are not even aware of the BCC: (blind carbon copy) feature which makes the other reipients of bulk forwardings invisible.
I was assuming that people will now use proper security in emailing military members.
And the best security is to please, go easy on the bulk forwarding!
His position is directly homeland security related in a very sensitive area.
If someone posted on the internet what he sent in mass emailings "to the world", it could ruin his career.
there are many that continue to have their first computers and try to learn the basics all by theirselves. Thus they have no idea how BCC woks; such as myself. Please describe process.
I don't think it will remove any of the pertinent information as suggested. That has to be done by deleting the headers when forwarding. (Forwarded messages show the email addresses/names of those individuals who were sent the first email.)
Aw, shoot. It's hard to explain and I've probably confused the issue, but BCC will not work.
After you go to "New Mail", click on "CC:", this will produce a new menu box called "select recipients". Click the little "BCC:" to highlight it. Then type or cut and paste your long list of friends in the "BCC" box. They will all get the email, but will not be able to see who else got it, or even know that anyone else got it.
If you make a group list on your Outlook Express email address list, you will only have to click the name of that group list and drop it into the "BCC:" box, and they will all get your email, but with privacy for each ont.
Put your own name in the "To:" box, or pick one name to put in the "To" box (everyone will read that one name) or just leave the "To:" box blank.
I wish more people did this, mass forwarding to open "CC:" lists is how viruses and other nasty things spread so quickly.
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