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Defense Dept. Blocks Access to YouTube

Bandwidth, security issues lead to ban on MySpace, other networking sites

By J. Kelman, Newser User

Posted May 14, 2007 12:38 PM CDT

(Newser) – MySpace as a national security threat? Yes, says the Department of Defense, which is blocking service members' access to the site—as well as YouTube and 11 other popular destinations troops use to communicate with family and friends—on department computers as of today. The department calls the online traffic a drain on bandwidth and an "operational security challenge."

Stars and Stripes, which broke the story, says videos and uploads slow DoD's networks. But the AP suggests the department may want to keep service members from sharing (potentially risky) information. That's a mistake, Wired's security blogger tells the AP: "This is as much an information war as it is bombs and bullets. And they are muzzling their best voices."

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Defense Dept. Blocks Access to YouTube