British Army imposes Facebook Ban

The British Army have caused consternation amongst troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, after taking steps to curtail the use of Facebook and all other social networking sites. The Army is worried that troops who talk about their exploits in status updates or messages could be breaching the public disclosure of information act. In an order issued to all soldiers entitled, ‘Contact with the Media and communicating in public,’ members of the army were ordered to severely limit what they say on social networking sites.

Even though the order doesn’t explicitly ban the use Facebook it has caused a widespread negative reaction amongst the troops, with one squaddie telling the Sun, “The fun police have taken over.”

The reaction of the troops is understandable; contact with home is considered one of the most important rights for soldiers fighting in a foreign conflict. Understanding the potential implications for morale, the MOD have quickly moved to clarify and justify their decision.

“Of course soldiers are allowed to go on Facebook and contribute to blogs… But we need to ensure sensitive information is not inadvertently placed in the public domain. A routine instruction has merely been refreshed and reissued.” – MOD spokesman.

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