Defense warning: Government computers are not private

[unhappycamper]

Defense warning: Government computers are not private
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, December 16, 2007

WASHINGTON — Defense officials have updated their login warnings to remind troops and civilian employees that nothing they do on a government computer is private.

The new warnings, which were posted for the first time last week, emphasize that government networks are for official purposes only, and any e-mails, files or notes on a defense-owned system are subject to monitoring.

Air Force Maj. Patrick Ryder, a DOD spokesman, said the change was made to ensure all Defense employees were viewing the same reminders when they accessed the department networks. Previous reviews found minor changes and confusion from agency to agency.

“DOD employees should understand that when using DOD information systems they are giving consent to monitoring, and so should have no expectations of privacy,” he said. “The basic policy has been in place for the past 10 years, and the changes seek simply to clarify and standardize the language.”

The new warning specifies that government officials routinely monitor all communications on their network, that at any time they can seize any data stored there, and that “communications occurring on or data stored on this (information system) … are not private.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51026

[Callalily]

1. This is no different

than policies in the corporate world. I don't see a problem here.

[unhappycamper]

2. I completely agree with you. n/t

[fed-up]

3. Does the privacy warning also affect members of Congress?? nt

[unhappycamper]

4. No.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/unhappycamper/4