UK suggests information sharing restrictions through Youtube

The UK Ministry of Defence warns its servicemen and women, and their families, of the possible dangers of sharing information over social media sites by posting short, relevant videos on Youtube. Taking after the Second World War British government propaganda motto, “careless talk costs lives”, the videos show simple and casual social media posts that can trigger an act of terrorism. According to the ministry, it has implored its servicemen and women, and their families, to be careful about gossiping online, especially on Facebook and Twitter. Videos posted end with the warning: “Think before you tweet, blog, update, tag, comment, check-in, upload, text, and share.” “There have been cases recently when people have given away details of when a ship is due home, or when a plane is about to land. These things happen in the excitement of homecomings and are unintentional. But we don’t want to give the enemy the edge. We’re just asking servicemen and women, and their families, to be a little more circumspect when they use these sites,” a ministry spokesperson said. Although the videos generated diverse feedback from concerned people, the ministry firmly believes that the underlying message is very important. It was also made clear that the comic approach did not want to gag people, or stop anyone from using social media. Two more short videos are being made and should be ready by next month.

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