Reuters is reporting[reuters.com] that Canadian soldiers have been ordered not to post personal information to social networking sites like MySpace[myspace.com] and Facebook[facebook.com]. The apparent motive is safety – “Al Qaeda operatives are monitoring Facebook and other social networking sites.”

Many have heard of the potential effects that sharing the wrong information online can have on our careers and social lives, but few would view death as one of those potential effects.  “This may seem over dramatic … (but) the information can be used to target members for further exploitation. It also opens the door for your families and friends to become potential targets as well.”

Are these soldiers and their families really in danger or is this an exaggeration or a command with a hidden motive?

Dominic Schulte

Dominic Schulte currently serves as the Managing Director of Security Services & Consulting at TRUE, where he is responsible for the execution of a wide range of security and regulatory compliance services. Previously, Dominic worked with the National Security Agency (NSA) as a Global Network Exploitation and Vulnerability Analyst in the National Security Incident and Response Center (NSIRC). He holds CISSP, QSA and CNSS 4011-4015 certifications.