Rules for military bloggers in Iraq

Tuesday, 30 August 2005, 11:02

The U.S. military has established guidelines for soldiers blogging in Iraq, according to MediaBistro, which has obtained a memo on blogging by Lt. Gen. John Vines:

Dated April 6, the four-page memo addresses several controversies that have arisen about soldiers blogging about their time in Iraq, and decrees that soldiers may keep and publish personal online journals as long as they don’t publish “prohibited information,” including classified information, notes on casualties before next-of-kin have been notified, and other information not generally released under a Freedom of Information Act request.

Under a threat of court martial, soldiers must register with their unit commander any blog or unofficial website, including the hosting company, IP address, and the webmaster’s name.

“Risks of the release of information must be weighed against the benefits of publishing to the Internet,” the memo explains.

(via Tyler Harrison)

Entry Filed under: Iraq