FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Soldiers, their Family members and DOD civilian employees should be thoughtful about the content they post to online social media sites whether it is mission-related or not, according to the Pentagon Office of the Chief of Public Affairs' Social Media Roundup.
"The Army is always working to protect itself against security breaches," the guide states. "It is vitally important that Army leaders, Soldiers and Army civilians understand what kind of data they are broadcasting and what they can do to protect themselves and their Families."
The Social Media Roundup warns that posting sensitive information online can be detrimental to Soldier safety. Even posting seemingly innocuous information can lead to problems in Soldiers' and civilians' personal lives.
"The gadgets that we have nowadays can do a lot of things, and you just have to realize what is the implication of putting that photograph out there, putting that phone number out there, putting your name out there, putting your face out there," said Daniel Smith, Fort Carson Freedom of Information Act and privacy officer.
Smith warned that identity thieves can glean a lot of information about people from not only the things they intentionally post online but also from data they may not even know they're sharing.
"I think what people don't realize is that when they use the shortcuts that are available to post things like photographs of Johnny's first birthday party, there is additional information that's in that picture," Smith said.
That information is called metadata and can include the date and GPS location where the photo was taken. Along with the name of the person who posted the picture to a page as well as other posts -- vacation stories, talk about a child's school, etc. -- thieves can gather enough information to steal someone's identity.
"So with that knowledge in hand," Smith said, "the identity thief then goes to the county clerk's office, requests a copy of the birth certificate that they 'lost' … then sets up a false account for a cell phone or a water bill or an electric bill to come in Johnny's name and then proceeds to the Social Security office to request a replacement Social Security card for Johnny."
Smith said the very young, the elderly and the recently deceased are the most vulnerable to identity theft because their credit reports are seldom checked.
He said the event that happens that "really blows them out of the water" is when a 17- or 18-year-old Family member applies for college loans and grants and finds that he has a poor credit rating because his identity had been stolen when he was younger.
"So if Johnny's mom and dad aren't checking his credit report along with theirs yearly, which is the (recommendation) … there's a possibility that even if they were being diligent parents, they would've missed it," said Smith.
Getting that credit report cleaned up is not a fast process, Smith said.
He said to protect themselves, social media users can turn off the GPS information in their camera or photo applications. They should also regularly check their privacy settings on their social media websites. Regular checks of credit reports can also help alert users that an identity theft has occurred.
The Pentagon's Social Media Roundup warns users not to share information they don't want to become public.
"Be careful about what you post about yourself on social media platforms," it says. "Once you put something out there, you can't control where it goes. Providing too much information in your profile can leave you exposed to people who want to steal your identity or steal sensitive operational information."
This is important to teach to children and others who are not familiar with social media dangers.
"If you're going to bring mom into Facebook," Smith said, "please give her the other end of the stick so she doesn't get beaten with it.
"The same goes with kids. Give a 7-year-old a cell phone and see how fast they're playing Angry Birds," he said. "It boggles your mind. I didn't have Angry Birds on my cell phone when I gave it to my 7-year-old granddaughter, but by the time I left from the visit, I had Angry Birds and it had been played."
Smith said children know the technology because they have a desire to use it.
"What they fail to understand is that with that want comes a reaction. They're not so good at judging which way the teeter-totter's going to go and where they're going to end up," he said.
The Pentagon guide advises social media users to think about what they're posting before they share. Many times, simply rephrasing a post can prevent people from releasing sensitive information.
"If you aren't comfortable placing the same information on a sign in your front yard, don't put it online," the guide says.
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