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The Pentagon has announced its networks will begin blocking access "worldwide" to YouTube, MySpace, and 11 other popular Web sites, according to a memo sent Friday by Gen. B.B. Bell, the U.S. Forces Korea commander.
The military says it's worried that personal use on military computers is stealing bandwidth and perhaps hampering operations, reports CBS News correspondent Steve Kathan. They're also concerned that too much information may be getting out.
"This recreational traffic impacts our official DoD network and bandwidth ability, while posing a significant operational security challenge," the memo said.
A high-ranking Army official told AP that the ban would take effect Monday.
The sites covered by the ban are:
* Video-sharing sites YouTube, Metacafe, IFilm, StupidVideos and FileCabi; * Social networking sites MySpace, BlackPlanet and Hi5; * Music sites Pandora, MTV, 1.fm and live365; and * Photo-sharing site Photobucket.
The latest change in regulations continues a recent trend of the DoD attempting to establish control over soldiers' ability to publicly communicate information about the war, ostensibly to prevent the unintended release of details that could harm the US mission in Iraq.
