Gates Creates Cyber-Defense Command
How to Avoid Facebook and Twitter Disasters
Who knew your boss could see so much of your Facebook page--including the pics from your wild weekend? Oversharing can lead to underemployment. Take some practical steps to control what others sHow to Avoid Facebook and Twitter Disastersee about you.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009; 3:19 AM
The power of social networks like Facebook and Twitter comes from their ability to quickly share information about your life with other people. But along with that ability comes the risk of sharing sensitive information with the wrong people, and that risk increases as your network grows well beyond your core circle of friends.
Using Twitter and Facebook effectively takes more than discretion; you should know how to tweak the settings for these services so that you have full control over who sees what on your Facebook page or on Twitter. In the two stories linked below, and in others to come, we'll cover both sides of the coin: how to use the tools at your disposal to keep your profiles in check, and how to handle the etiquette side of the equation, as well.
The garden-variety freshman may not have much to worry about, but it's a different story if you--as many people are increasingly doing--are using Facebook and Twitter not for updates about your meals, pets, and drinking binges, but for professional purposes. So we've outlined here a handful of common disastrous scenarios in which one (or both) of these social networks was misused, as well as the best way to prevent or remedy the problem.
But in the end you'll find that the fundamental lesson is invariably the same, and that's to remember the golden rule of all social networks: Never forget that the whole world is watching.
Now go on to:
In a memo to senior military leaders, Gates said he will recommend that President Obama designate that the new command be led by the director of the National Security Agency, the world's largest electronic intelligence-gathering agency. The current NSA director, Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, is expected to be awarded a fourth star and to lead the cyber-command.
Gates or his deputy had been expected to announce the command in a speech a week ago. Analysts said making the announcement by memo is in keeping with the Pentagon's effort to tamp down concerns that the Defense Department and the NSA will dominate efforts to protect the nation's computer networks.
"Is it going to be the dominant player by default because the Department of Homeland Security is weak and this new unit will be strong?" said James A. Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "That's a legitimate question, and I think DoD will resist having that happen. But there are issues of authorities that haven't been cleared up. What authorities does DoD have to do things outside the dot-mil space?"
The command will be set up as part of the U.S. Strategic Command, which is responsible for commanding operations in nuclear and computer warfare. Gates directed that the command be launched by this October and be fully operational by October 2010.
In a speech last week, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn stressed that the command's mission would be to defend military networks. However, he said, "it would be inefficient -- indeed, irresponsible -- to not somehow leverage the unrivaled technical expertise and talent that resides at the National Security Agency" to protect the federal civilian networks, as long as it is done in a way that protects civil liberties.
How to Avoid Facebook and Twitter Disasters
Who knew your boss could see so much of your Facebook page--including the pics from your wild weekend? Oversharing can lead to underemployment. Take some practical steps to control what others see about you.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009; 3:19 AM
The power of social networks like Facebook and Twitter comes from their ability to quickly share information about your life with other people. But along with that ability comes the risk of sharing sensitive information with the wrong people, and that risk increases as your network grows well beyond your core circle of friends.
Using Twitter and Facebook effectively takes more than discretion; you should know how to tweak the settings for these services so that you have full control over who sees what on your Facebook page or on Twitter. In the two stories linked below, and in others to come, we'll cover both sides of the coin: how to use the tools at your disposal to keep your profiles in check, and how to handle the etiquette side of the equation, as well.
The garden-variety freshman may not have much to worry about, but it's a different story if you--as many people are increasingly doing--are using Facebook and Twitter not for updates about your meals, pets, and drinking binges, but for professional purposes. So we've outlined here a handful of common disastrous scenarios in which one (or both) of these social networks was misused, as well as the best way to prevent or remedy the problem.
But in the end you'll find that the fundamental lesson is invariably the same, and that's to remember the golden rule of all social networks: Never forget that the whole world is watching.
Now go on to:
In a memo to senior military leaders, Gates said he will recommend that President Obama designate that the new command be led by the director of the National Security Agency, the world's largest electronic intelligence-gathering agency. The current NSA director, Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander, is expected to be awarded a fourth star and to lead the cyber-command.
Gates or his deputy had been expected to announce the command in a speech a week ago. Analysts said making the announcement by memo is in keeping with the Pentagon's effort to tamp down concerns that the Defense Department and the NSA will dominate efforts to protect the nation's computer networks.
"Is it going to be the dominant player by default because the Department of Homeland Security is weak and this new unit will be strong?" said James A. Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "That's a legitimate question, and I think DoD will resist having that happen. But there are issues of authorities that haven't been cleared up. What authorities does DoD have to do things outside the dot-mil space?"
The command will be set up as part of the U.S. Strategic Command, which is responsible for commanding operations in nuclear and computer warfare. Gates directed that the command be launched by this October and be fully operational by October 2010.
In a speech last week, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn stressed that the command's mission would be to defend military networks. However, he said, "it would be inefficient -- indeed, irresponsible -- to not somehow leverage the unrivaled technical expertise and talent that resides at the National Security Agency" to protect the federal civilian networks, as long as it is done in a way that protects civil liberties.
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