# Israeli raid called off after Facebook slip



## Colin Parkinson (4 Mar 2010)

Hmmmm a good reminder about OPSEC


 Israeli raid called off after Facebook slip 
March 3, 2010 - 4:05pm

By SHIRA RUBIN 
Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's military has "unfriended" one of its own _ after a combat soldier potentially updated Israel's enemies on Facebook.

The military said Wednesday that a planned raid on a West Bank village was called off after the soldier disclosed its details online. The military said the soldier posted the time and location of the raid on his Facebook page, saying that troops were planning on "cleaning up" the village.

Fellow soldiers reported the leak to military authorities, who canceled the raid, fearing that the information may have reached hostile groups and put troops at risk.

The soldier was court-martialed and sentenced to 10 days in prison. He was also removed from his battalion and combat postings.

A military statement added that it is cracking down on soldiers' use of social networking Web sites and has launched a campaign warning of the dangers of sharing military information online.

"Uploading classified information to social networks or any Web site exposes the information to anyone who wishes to view it, including foreign and hostile intelligence services," the military statement read. "Hostile intelligence agents scan the Internet with an eye toward collecting information on the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), which may undermine operational success and imperil IDF forces."

The military said that soldiers were prohibited from publishing classified information, including photographs containing military data.

In posters placed on military bases, a mock Facebook page shows the images of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Below their pictures _ and Facebook "friend requests" _ reads the slogan: "You think that everyone is your friend?"


(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 
By SHIRA RUBIN 
Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's military has "unfriended" one of its own _ after a combat soldier potentially updated Israel's enemies on Facebook.

The military said Wednesday that a planned raid on a West Bank village was called off after the soldier disclosed its details online. The military said the soldier posted the time and location of the raid on his Facebook page, saying that troops were planning on "cleaning up" the village.

Fellow soldiers reported the leak to military authorities, who canceled the raid, fearing that the information may have reached hostile groups and put troops at risk.

The soldier was court-martialed and sentenced to 10 days in prison. He was also removed from his battalion and combat postings.

A military statement added that it is cracking down on soldiers' use of social networking Web sites and has launched a campaign warning of the dangers of sharing military information online.

"Uploading classified information to social networks or any Web site exposes the information to anyone who wishes to view it, including foreign and hostile intelligence services," the military statement read. "Hostile intelligence agents scan the Internet with an eye toward collecting information on the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), which may undermine operational success and imperil IDF forces."

The military said that soldiers were prohibited from publishing classified information, including photographs containing military data.

In posters placed on military bases, a mock Facebook page shows the images of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Below their pictures _ and Facebook "friend requests" _ reads the slogan: "You think that everyone is your friend?"

http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=105&sid=1902506#


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## Dean22 (5 Mar 2010)

Was briefed on this tonight. 

Pretty crappy situation but honestly how dumb can this soldier be?

I am surprised the IDF hasn't banned it like the US Marines.

I personally keep facebook at maximum possible security.


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## Colin Parkinson (9 Mar 2010)

My understanding is that the US military reviewed OPSEC on social media sites and found less cases of OPSEC there then on official government sites. The military has been ordered to allow blogs and posts on social media with oversight from the poster supervising officer.


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## Snaketnk (12 Apr 2010)

Colin P, do you have sources for that? I'd love to get my hands on them.


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## Colin Parkinson (13 Apr 2010)

There is a link to the article on the bottom of the page.


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## The Bread Guy (25 Feb 2014)

Bumped with the latest - it appears lessons have not been learned yet ....


> The IDF and Facebook have a relationship that is, well, complicated. Ten years after the launch of the social media giant, and days after Facebook’s $19-billion acquisition of WhatsApp, there is, from the army’s perspective, the good, the bad, the secret, and the ambiguous.
> 
> Col. (res) Avi Becker, the former head of weaponry at the IDF Computer Services Directorate, put the overall ratio of good to bad at 35:65. He is probably more generous than most. But as the IDF drafts from the civilian pool of a nation that uses Facebook more than any other country in the world (according to 2011 figures), the army has attempted to address the dangers, grapple with the uncertainties and harness the opportunities inherent in social media.
> 
> ...


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