341 days

Helen A.S. Popkin

British military's online safety videos single out the ladies

British women simply cannot be trusted with military information!

As Britain's World War II propaganda posters reveal, talking too much to the fairer sex — be it one's mum, or a hot blonde (who's not so dumb) — resulted in the Blitz ... or something.

Sixty some-odd years later, videos from British Ministry of Defence demonstrate how lady soldiers on leave overshare on Foursquare and end up disco dancing with a ski-masked terrorist wearing crossed ammo belts like a Civil War-era Mexican rebel and rocking pretty sweet moves with an AK-47.

That same terrorist (or maybe a different one, who can say? Dude's wearin' a ski mask) shows up for tea with some soldier's mom who just posted sonny boy's10-20 — the (probably Top Secret!) military location which he sent her in a totally private email (probably in https mode so he wouldn't get Firesheeped).

While the introduction that accompanies the videos and Online Engagement Guidelines on the MOD website doesn't specifically mention women as the main cause of leaked military secrets like the Careless Talk Costs Lives campaign of WW II, take it as British or no, we gals do love our gossip!

True, here in the U.S. of A, our male Congressmen may TwitPic their junk, or do something silly like tweet their precise whereabouts while traveling through Iraq and Afghanistan, causing the Pentagon to take action, but that's nothing compared to us gals and our yap yap yap.

But ladies! "Remember that there may be those who are using such sites for unsavoury reasons," the MOD reminds. "These range from criminals looking for ways to con you or steal your identity, to those who may wish us harm."

It's not marketers or your own government's spooks you have to look out for, either. A disco-dancing terrorist from central casting who enjoys tea could be checking out your Facebook photos right now.

And guess what?

"It can be simple to collate information from various sources in order to build up a picture of who a person is. Similarly it might only take one careless comment, or posting a picture without checking what’s in the background to put friends and colleagues at risk."

All (semi) kidding aside, these social media privacy tips — which you've heard a jillion times before —should be followed, even if you're not a member of the British military or an MOD civilian:

Alongside being careful about the information you choose to share online, you should also look at the settings on every social networking site you use, and ensure that you’re happy with how your information is being used and shared. If there are sites that you no longer use, and have no intention of using again, it’s better for you to close your account rather than just ignore it.

Remember! Keep mum ... she's not so dumb. Unless, like the modern ladies portrayed in these videos, she is. 

More on the annoying way we live now: 

• Facebook loses 6 million US users, continues to conquer globe
• How Twitter found 'up to 30 dismembered bodies'
• Bieber fans go on Grammy-fueled Wikipedia rampage

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook.