SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE

 

 

 

 

 

SITREP: Social Media Responsibility
Think, Type, Post. Sgt. Laura Martin talks about how on-line behavior can affect our careers. For more information https://www.army.mil/socialmedia/soldiers/.
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WELCOME to the Official U.S. Army Reserve social media page and directory. 

Social media is all about collaboration, and we want to hear from you. Check out our pages, ask questions, provide feedback and share your thoughts.

U.S. ARMY RESERVE FLAGSHIP SOCIAL MEDIA SITES:

                     

SOCIAL NETWORKING SAFETY TIPS
Information below is brought to you by the Computer Crime Investigative Unit, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Download Flyer »

OVERVIEW:
Social Media allows people to interact with others with similar interests or backgrounds at a faster more convenient setting, online, underscoring the need to understand potential risks associated. A person’s online activities may inadvertently expose excessive information about their identity, location, relationships, and affiliations, creating an increased risk of identity theft, stalking, or targeted violence. A safer social networking experience is available by accepting some basic assumptions and following a few recommendations. 

ASSUMPTIONS:
  • Once something is posted on a social networking site, it can quickly spread. No amount of effort will erase it – the Internet does not forget.
  • You are not anonymous on the Internet.
  • There are people on the Internet who are not who they purport to be and will take advantage of you if afforded the opportunity.
  • Participating in more social networking sites increases your attack surface and overall risk.
  • Everyone on the Internet can see what you post, from where you post it, who your friends and associates are, the comments your friends make and your “witty” replies.
  • An embarrassing comment or image will come back to haunt you…one day…when you least expect it…at the least opportune time.
  • There is a complete record of your online activity...somewhere
RECOMMENDATIONS:
  • Do not post anything you would be embarrassed to see on the evening news.
  • Do not accept friend/follower requests from anyone you do not know; independently verify identities.
  • Avoid using third-party applications; if needed, do not allow them to access your social networking accounts, friends list or address books.
  • Do not post personally identifiable information.
  • Be cautious about the images you post. What is in them may be more revealing than who is in them. Images posted over time may form a complete mosaic of you and your family.
  • Do not allow others to tag you in images they post. Doing so makes you easier to locate and accurately construct your network of friends, relatives and associates.
  • Securely configure your social networking accounts to minimize who can see your information
  • Do not use check-ins. If check-ins are enabled, disable them. Do not post your specific location. 
  • Be cautious when accessing online accounts from public Wi-Fi connections. Someone might have installed software capable of capturing your login credentials and other sensitive information. 
  • Do not use the save password, remember me or keep me logged in options from public or shared computers. 
  • Limit social networking to personal use. 
  • Do not use the same password for all of your accounts. Make sure the passwords for your financial sites are not permutations of your other passwords. 
  • Do not use your social networking site to login to other sites. Create another user account on the new site instead. 
  • Use strong, unique passwords. Consider passphrases for an additional level of safety. 
  • Keep anti-virus software current. 
  • Do not arrange meetings with people you meet online.

CONFIGURATION GUIDES from U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command - Computer Crime Investigative Unit

FACEBOOK • TWITTER  • LINKEDIN

For more information about computer security and other computer related scams, we encourage readers to the Army Criminal Investigation Command (Army CID) website.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (external sites)
• Cyberbullying - National Crime Prevention Council
• Staying Safe on Social Network Sites - Dept. of Homeland Security Cyber Infrastructure (CISA)
• Kids and Socializing Online - Federal Trade Commission 
• Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule ("COPPA") - Federal Trade Commission
• Facebook Help Center • Twitter Help Center • LinkedIn Help Center

RESOURCES:

Training Requirements:  CAC Enabled
» OPSEC for EOP Operators (updated course coming soon)
» DOD Course: Social Networking and Your Online Identity
» OPSEC Level II

More information at Army.mil: Social Media Managers | U.S. Army Social Media

OPSEC Level II training is now MANDATORY:  Per AR 360-1 (8 October 20) 2-4 Commanders of all echelons para a. (2) Ensure PAOs are OPSEC level II qualified. The PAO conducts an OPSEC review of all official information before it is released to the public. Examples of products requiring automatic review include: news releases; web con-tent; teaching, speaking, and writing done by military personnel pertaining to military and national security matters in an unofficial capacity; subjects of significant concern to DoD; and responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act requests.

8-3 Social Media and blogs para a. Training.  Personnel who manage and release information on official Army social media platforms must be OPSEC level II certified, and be current with required social media training.
para b. Registration. The social media directory registers official social media accounts of organizations with a 1035 civilian or 46 series military occupational specialty with release authority that is OPSEC level II trained and fulfills all training required of social media managers.

ALARACT 289/2013, Army OPSEC Training for External Official Presence Operators states that all commanders will ensure that personnel who publish information on external online presences receive mandatory annual OPSEC training.

Click image to download pdf

Political Activities

There are times when the names and images of U.S. Army Reserve leadership have been used to fraudulently victimize or scam well-meaning people.

You will NEVER receive a personal friend request, or a request for money, from any of the U.S. Army Reserve leadership. If you are talking to someone claiming to be a current or past general officer or Command Sergeants Major from the U.S. Army Reserve leadership team on any social media platform, you are talking to an impostor.

Our social media team reports impostor accounts for removal, but we need your assistance.

BEWARE OF ONLINE SCAMS!

U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) receives hundreds of reports a month from individuals who have fallen victim to a scam perpetrated by a person impersonating a U.S. Soldier online.

Victims of these “romance scams” report they became involved in an online relationship with someone they believed to be a U.S. Soldier who then began asking for money for various false service-related needs. Victims of these scams can lose tens of thousands of dollars and face a slim likelihood of recovering any of it.

Click here to find out how the Army is combating online scams.