screen names

[lovemyarmyman]

i think ima post something in here about how many new girls have
(rank) (boyfriends last name)

as thier screen names i dont think that should be allowed its dangerious for the guys you know?

just a thought. what do you all think?

[Tammiamm]

Agreed!

[IHeartMyParatrooper]

i agree! good idea!

[Lindsayg383]

totally agree

[Sunkist]

agreed

[caedmonscall827]

Thats been bugging me today! thanks for pointing that out!

[Ang2006]

totally agree :)

[Ronin]

i agree! i was wondering about that.

[lovemyarmyman]

so this is something that one of the staff is going to see? i mean. . . i dunno so its a good idea that it should be added to the rules, but whats the plan of action right?

[amberandchrisforever]

so are we going to make the girls who already have it change their names?

[reesesc1802]

i think restrictions like that are foolish.... regardless of what your name is... i mean mine is spcsharpsgirl.. yeah it has his rank and last name... ok.... it doesnt say hey my boy friend... so and so ... is stationed here and this is his rank and what not.. it just has his last name and rank.. which is changing.. so it wont even be acurate.. i think that the girls who have it should be left alone. its your name you can choose it.. thats the way it should be kept...

[lovemyarmyman]

well the point im trying to make is that

1- you have his rank and name
2- youre posting about things
:"oh hes deployed what should i do"
:"oh we're from michican"
:"his ship is coming back within the month"

etc and it doesnt take a genius to connect those things. . . . i dunno but thats why i was kinda worried about the new trend

[kaia_434]

ummmm well here is the deal with that... not everyone's is actually thier last name. like gena's is iluvmypvtscott but scott is his first name not last so i think it would be tricky to even figure out what "was bad" and if it violated ospec the mod's would have already caught it... they are pretty good about stuff like that... i think it would be a little over kill if we tried to force it.

[amberandchrisforever]

i think restrictions like that are foolish.... regardless of what your name is... i mean mine is spcsharpsgirl.. yeah it has his rank and last name... ok.... it doesnt say hey my boy friend... so and so ... is stationed here and this is his rank and what not.. it just has his last name and rank.. which is changing.. so it wont even be acurate.. i think that the girls who have it should be left alone. its your name you can choose it.. thats the way it should be kept...
i agree. i understand thinking of safety reasons but i know that just because it says someones name and rank doesnt say everything. for one they do change ranks and two some names like chris' last name are common. we have a guy who is only like 10 miles away from where we live that has his same name first and last.

[reesesc1802]

ok well then it was something that should have been thought about in the beginning... spcsharpsgirl is my yahoo screenname... my email and my sign on name on here...

if i want to go out and post that my bf is stationed here and lives here and this is his whole name and rank i can.. but im not stupid.. so i dont.. yeah i say things... but in order for someone to pick up on everything.. they would have to read every post posted by me and i am sure they would get bored of it.
I think restricting someone on what their name is .. is like telling them that they cant show their support that way and they have to find some other way to do it.... which i believe is wrong.

[reesesc1802]

i agree. i understand thinking of safety reasons but i know that just because it says someones name and rank doesnt say everything. for one they do change ranks and two some names like chris' last name are common. we have a guy who is only like 10 miles away from where we live that has his same name first and last.

i agree.. i know of 3 spc sharps on the same base as my man....

[kaia_434]

o and another thing... thinks like this should be brought up to the mods, cause i can see this getting messy, the girls that have the names that you dont like and agree with might get offended.

[IHeartMyParatrooper]

i think since we tell girls not to post their guys' last names in threads for OPSEC reasons, it makes perfect sense to ask them not to post their guys' last names in their username. i don't know why having the info in your username is any safer than having it in a thread.

i guess we should PM a mod to let them know our thoughts on this, and see what they say.

[reesesc1802]

i think whether or not they post a last name is no ones business.. as long as they dont post a whole name.... like pvt doe did this... or john did that... as long as its not pvt john doe said this....

[MySoldiersWifey]

i think restrictions like that are foolish.... regardless of what your name is... i mean mine is spcsharpsgirl.. yeah it has his rank and last name... ok.... it doesnt say hey my boy friend... so and so ... is stationed here and this is his rank and what not.. it just has his last name and rank.. which is changing.. so it wont even be acurate.. i think that the girls who have it should be left alone. its your name you can choose it.. thats the way it should be kept...

Anyone in the Army, the spouse of someone in the Army (as long as they are sponsered on AKO), and even family members, can look up your boyfriends information. They can get his address and phone number just by looking for him.

[Justine_Renee]

ok i'm seeing both sides of this, but i do have his last name but not his rank... is that ok?

[Sunkist]

ok i'm seeing both sides of this, but i do have his last name but not his rank... is that ok?

If I were you... I would take it out. If someone wanted to they could look at what branch of the military he is in, location, etc and figure it out. We are all just looking out after all our guys safety!

[cgfe112503]

Vote

[mama kiowa]

vote

[Anna]

yeah its not great but i mean its not going to be horrible it could be worst

[Marissa1484]

take it to the polls ladies.

[Justine_Renee]

ok well i took his name out of my sig just to be safe, but how do you change your screen name? because if i'm able to i'll do it asap, i never even thought about it... :(

[Erin]

Vote.


And I'm going to add to this...

You should never post your man's first and last name on a public website. And you are obviously gonna post what branch he is in. And adding his rank and location is even more dangerous. ANYONE can register for this website.. including government people who can get Renae in trouble for allowing OPSEC violations. And also including people working for the "bad guys".. yea your threads/username may seem small and not important, but who knows how much time they have on their hands. If they want to find someone and you give them enough information, they will. Terrorists.. well, they are crazy people. And this site being so easy to find on so many search engines.. who the hell knows who could end up lurking around here.

Bottom line: Do you really want to put your man in danger like that because you want to keep your same username? I don't think so.

Edit: Just because your man's rank changes doesn't mean they can't find out stuff about him. If things don't match up they could go, "Hmm.. maybe he got promoted"..

[lovemyarmyman]

awww sweetie dont feel bad about it, i was just bringing up something i was wondering about seeing as it was becoming a trend. .

you cant really "change" your screen name you have to re-create i think

but again this is what the MODs will tell us if it really IS an issue

[Marissa1484]

Vote.


And I'm going to add to this...

You should never post your man's first and last name on a public website. And you are obviously gonna post what branch he is in. And adding his rank and location is even more dangerous. ANYONE can register for this website.. including government people who can get Renae in trouble for allowing OPSEC violations. And also including people working for the "bad guys".. yea your threads/username may seem small and not important, but who knows how much time they have on their hands. If they want to find someone and you give them enough information, they will. Terrorists.. well, they are crazy people. And this site being so easy to find on so many search engines.. who the hell knows who could end up lurking around here.

Bottom line: Do you really want to put your man in danger like that because you want to keep your same username? I don't think so.

Edit: Just because your man's rank changes doesn't mean they can't find out stuff about him. If things don't match up they could go, "Hmm.. maybe he got promoted"..


Erin... :hail: Well said.

[kaia_434]

there is a way screen names can be changed... you dont have to "recreate" but renae has to approve it...

[jenny05]

Well, I won't really say my opinion as far as the others on this site... but in my world with my man, I do not post anything regarding his name, location, etc. I keep everything tip top secret because I trust no one... sorry ladies... ;) hehe...

[lovemyarmyman]

right i remember that now. . .. marissa did that

[cgfe112503]

PM Renae and she can change it for you.

And also, to add to what Erin said..Government officials could register and sign on here...which they can get your man in a lot of trouble! I've actually heard of some of the guys in my mans unit getting their ass chewed for things their parents have said. Its just a friendly reminder

[jenny05]

PM Renae and she can change it for you.

And also, to add to what Erin said..Government officials could register and sign on here...which they can get your man in a lot of trouble! I've actually heard of some of the guys in my mans unit getting their ass chewed for things their parents have said. Its just a friendly reminder


Ditto... my boy's unit busts people for having myspace pages and everything... They actually look for them, which means they are probably aware of this website also... it's not hard to find or join. Be careful, the internet is easily accessible to everyone... including terrorists, bad guys, etc.

[ashley]

Vote.


And I'm going to add to this...

You should never post your man's first and last name on a public website. And you are obviously gonna post what branch he is in. And adding his rank and location is even more dangerous. ANYONE can register for this website.. including government people who can get Renae in trouble for allowing OPSEC violations. And also including people working for the "bad guys".. yea your threads/username may seem small and not important, but who knows how much time they have on their hands. If they want to find someone and you give them enough information, they will. Terrorists.. well, they are crazy people. And this site being so easy to find on so many search engines.. who the hell knows who could end up lurking around here.

Bottom line: Do you really want to put your man in danger like that because you want to keep your same username? I don't think so.

Edit: Just because your man's rank changes doesn't mean they can't find out stuff about him. If things don't match up they could go, "Hmm.. maybe he got promoted"..

Beautifully stated Erin...& girls..remember to VOTE!

[Katie9862]

Holy Cow.
Erin, well said.
1. I think Renaes asleep, or just ignoring me..so we'll have to wait for her opinion on this, BUT i'm assuming since it does violate OPSEC to put their last names in ANYTHING including pictures having it in your username also violates it. I noticed this the other day, but with finals it was going to have to wait.
We'll figure this out in the morning, there is no use in "debating" this though, last names= a no no on this site.
And no you're not allowed to do that and no it doesnt say you can't support him the way you want to, you're protecting him AND the other men out there. Like in the military, its need to know information, does someone NEED to know your mans last name, NO.

[Katie9862]

oops, I just noticed I put 1. and didn't have a 2. oh well, i'm tired :)

[Melissa81]

VOTE!!!

It is a violation of OPSEC to post rank and last name on any internet site. This was a HUGE deal during Don's deployment with the wives, some soldiers were even got in trouble for it. When in doubt, I think it's best to err on the side of caution. Just my opinion!

While it may seem harmless to put information about your service member because you think it's just a little bit of information that would do no harm. The fact is that little bit of information is compiled together with other bits of information to create a larger detailed picture of military units and operations. This information can affect military operations, delay homecomings or worst case, get someone killed. Not only is it a bad idea, it is against regulations. (Don's "opinion"!!)

[Erin]

VOTE!!!

It is a violation of OPSEC to post rank and last name on any internet site. This was a HUGE deal during Don's deployment with the wives, some soldiers were even got in trouble for it. When in doubt, I think it's best to err on the side of caution. Just my opinion!

But your opinion... is correct! :thumb:

[lovemyarmyman]

good job voting girls :biggrin1:

[IHeartMyParatrooper]

VOTE!!!

votevotevote


thanks for clearing things up, Katie.

[AprilFoolsBaby]

so this is something that one of the staff is going to see? i mean. . . i dunno so its a good idea that it should be added to the rules, but whats the plan of action right? generally youre not supposed to post anything with a last name, especially pictures. its in the opsec rules.

[Katie9862]

votevotevote


thanks for clearing things up, Katie.

Haha, did I clear anything up? I think I just rambled, lol...

[mustangapril]

It churns my stomach when I see people stating their man's full names and info when introducing themselves. Then I see tickers going the wrong way saying "only 3 months until my baby is home"..that truly upsets me and I always want to say something about it. Heck, I even see it on myspace sometimes!

Just because some girls don't put all of their man's information in one sentence in one area of this forum doesn't mean people can't snoop and find all the information. I mean Mike is in Afghanistan and on his address he SPECIFICALLY told me NOT to put his rank on it. That's serious enough to me......

[IHeartMyParatrooper]

Haha, did I clear anything up? I think I just rambled, lol...

haha, yes, you used your finely-honed MIG-Mod skills to let us know that last names in usernames are in fact a no-no.

[blujeansbebe]

It does bother me (OPSEC) that some people post their bf's/and their own last names...you never know who is reading these forums and it might put yourself or your soldier/marine/etc in danger. (extreme case, but I had a talk with Alex about this last night...)

Also countdowns to when they come home from deployment...not a good idea

[MySoldiersWifey]

This isn't a personal issue or a matter of liking or disliking a persons username. This is an opsec issue.

Operational Security



OPSEC Links: OPSEC PRIMER (http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/a021202b.html) OPSEC Details (http://www.nv.doe.gov/opsec/default.asp)
OPerational SECurity is very important to understand when dealing with the government. OPSEC helps to protect classified and unclassified information that our government has. It is important for everyone to understand. There are many key points of OPSEC that I will point out in this briefing.
OPSEC is necessary!
The Laws of OPSEC
If you don't know the threat, how do you know what to protect?
If you don't know what to protect, how do you know you are protecting it?
If you are not protecting it. . . .the adversary wins!
For us it is important to keep the information of the military person we know safe. In the wrong hands, the unclassified information YOU possess could cause potentially grave harm to the United States or your military person.
What is the threat?
The threat is harm to the United States or your military person. If there were no threats, there would be no reason to protect anything. These threats are what your men are fighting against.
What are you protecting?
Any and all unclassified/classified information. Hopefully if you do not possess a security clearance, you do not know any classified information. But all information needs to remain safe.
Examples of this include:

Last names
All Dates (Returning/Leaving/R&R, etc)
Exact Unit numbers or Unit Names
Exact locations (Bases, Posts, Forts, Ports)
Addresses, email, phone numbers

All information Trusted to You should remain in your brain, do not share this information. If it's questionable as to whether or not you should say the information, ask an Administrator or keep it to yourself.
NEED TO KNOW
Need to know is an important concept to understand. Stop, think and decide whether or not another person needs to know this information. Does Person A need to know Private John's last name? In most all cases NO! Addresses, phone numbers, AIM names, email addresses, dates, unit numbers, locations or bases/posts etc., and all other 'sensitive' information are all examples of things "strangers" do not need to know.
Even between two people who hold a Top Secret security clearance. One person may not tell the other a classified number if that person does not have a need to know.
Before you give away any information to another person, decide if they have the need to know. This is a very important concept.
Basic OPSEC Countermeasures

Properly destroy sensitive information.
Avoid posting or displaying sensitive information.
Do not leave lap-top computers unattended in public places.
Be aware of the threats.
Know how information is gathered.
Know what information requires protection.
Know what you can do to protect the information
Sensitive Information
What is Sensitive Information?
Sensitive information can be anything. Usually sensitive information is any piece of unclassified (or classified) information that can help the enemy put the missing pieces of the puzzle together. Sensitive information can be anything from a last name to a bank account number. Be practing need to know, you should be effective in minimizing the amount of sensitive information you give out. The most important concept is to stay aware of the information you know, and be sure that you keep it safe.
The Intelligence Puzzle
When the enemy collects enough sensitive UNCLASSIFIED information he may be able to find out what the big picture is. With enough unclassified information, it is significantly easier to piece together what the CLASSIFIED information would be. This is a huge security risk.
OPSEC is so much more than this, but this is a general idea of it. Please check out the links on the side of the page for more information. OPSEC is a great tool that we all use, but should be more aware of, especially when our country could be at stake.
Lastly, Please practice OPSEC in your posts in the forum, if any Administrator or Moderator finds you in violation your post will be modified and you will be notified of the violation via the PM system.
Thanks,
Renae

http://militaryissuedgirlfriends.com/index.php?page=security

[Renae]

I'm not going to read all this right now. I'm WAY too lazy.

Here's the deal with it all.

OPSEC is NOT a law! I have said this before and I will say this again.

A famous quote that is on a poster in one of the labs I work in (remember I work with classified material).
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

This means that we won't be destroyed from the outside getting our information, it will be because we have been so clumsy with trusted information, we will let it leak out to the enemy and they will destroy us.

So what does this all have to do with the military and last names? We, the management of MIG, give you guidelines on how to post information safely and without much risk to yourselves OR your other halves! We will, if information is TOO risky, delete the information when we find it. However, last names are a VERY gray area. We encourage you to refrain from using last names, however, we can't stop everyone. If you choose to put your man's life in potential jeopardy, then it is your choice. I'm not going to force people to change their screen names, honestly I don't think it's absolutely necessary.

Some other examples.
When I throw out my bank statements and credit card bills (the ones they still send dag nab it!)...I shred them. Yes, I can throw them in the trash without ripping them up, and yes, the chances of somebody digging through my trash and stealing MY credit cards are faily slim.... BUT it does happen. I can't predict if it will happen, so I take precautions.
With last names, duty stations, locations and deployment dates (ranks and first names are perfectly okay, MOSs are even pretty safe usually *certain restrictions apply*), you are potentially giving the enemy some of the information he needs to put together the puzzle. So you take precautions, and do not give out last names, locations and deployment dates.

It's common sense really. When you leave for the weekend, you have somebody get your mail and put your lights on a timer. You take precautions so that the "bad guys" don't catch on!

The biggest thing to understand is that the enemy can gather TONS of little tiny bits of information. A last name here, a date here, some city here and there. And then when he gets it all together, with enough of the little bits of information, he can put the big picture together. Whether that big picture is an attack on a big city, or a return date where mass amounts of troops will be coming home from one place. These are things that the enemy does not need to know, and you need to make sure the little bits of information stay away from them.

Are last names going to help them? Probably not. Is a thief going to steal my gas bill (yes I shred that too).....again Probably Not! But the threat is always there. Also, think about what you are protecting. Not just one life, but potentially LOTS of lives.

So to end this long post. Last names, though discouraged, are not going to be forced to be removed. But the management has the right to change any rules at any point in time (as stated in the rules) and to change our determination on the matter without a vote from the community.

Did I explain this well enough? Questions will be answered.

[mama kiowa]

Here here, I think we finally have an answer to the question.

[Nicki]

well i told my man my name on here, and i will bring this up to him, if he wants me to change it i will...xoxo

[elliegal99]

First of all, no more arguing ladies :-( We are all here to vent to eachother about a common issue and we should be there for eachother, not snapping at each other for what we choose to include in our screennames. That's a good way to make people feel out of place. Secondly, I agree that perhaps posting last names might not be a good idea because you never know who is watching. But I dont agree that people who do this are knowlingly putting their guys in danger. I dont think that any of you girls would do that. So lets just keep things positive, have a great night! Thanks so much, Renae, for clearing it up for everyone!

[Kayla_marie]

mhm.. Great idea

[Kath]

personaly i wouldnt post my mans last name and rank on the internet but then agian thats just me... maybe im being careful but i know what kinda of creepy ass people there are out there in the world cause i spend 12 hours a day with them 80 hours a week.... people arnt as nice as we like to think.. there are people out there constantly thinking of ways to screw you over.. take your stuff... harm you.. hurt you... violate you.. and make your life a liveing hell..... but if you want to put your self at risk for that then hey thats your personal choice no one can tell you that you can and cant protect yourself


i would personaly want to protect those i love as much as possible.... but agian thats just me

[elliegal99]

like i said, i dont think people intentionally are posting things to try to hurt the ones they love. maybe im wrong but i love all these girls and i wouldnt think badly about them like that! i udnersntand your point but im just suggesting we let peolpe do what they want and not criticize

[MySoldiersWifey]

I just went to google and put in AprilLovesHim and many others including my own and this is what it came up with: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=aprilloveshim

[Kath]

I just went to google and put in AprilLovesHim and many others including my own and this is what it came up with: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=aprilloveshim

great point

[AprilIsLovely]

thanks hilda!!!

now everyone is going to google me *thhoooobbb*

xo

[jenny05]

First of all, no more arguing ladies :-( We are all here to vent to eachother about a common issue and we should be there for eachother, not snapping at each other for what we choose to include in our screennames. That's a good way to make people feel out of place.

I don't really see that anyone is arguing here... I think we are just trying to bring up an issue that some probably haven't throught much of. I agree with you that these girls are not doing it intentionally to harm anyone... but I do believe that those of us new to the military life do not always fully understand OPSEC and its impact on the military community as a whole. I think this bears a thread, and I appreciate Diana for making this one. I agree with everything Renae said. :hail: Basically, be careful--that's all we want you to do here.

[Katie9862]

The only thing that bothers me is, sure you're putting your own mans life in danger, but you're doing the same thing to his fellow men, and they have no say in what you do.

And no one is saying that anyone is putting their men in danger on purpose, but now that they are a bit more educated on things hopefully they will change.

[Renae]

I've answered the question. If anyone wants to request a screen name changed based on this information, you may PM me *requests may take up to 1 week to be filled*.

I'm going to close this topic. If you have more questions please PM or email me.