PERSEC Rules
PERSEC is personal security. Like OPSEC, this involves guarding the information that you know. Do not give out your service memeber's name along with rank. Be vague about your personal information on the internet. This is plain common sense in every day life, regardless of if your husband is in the military. The old saying that "loose lips sink ships" still holds true today. Keep your service member, your family, and his unit safe by keeping the information you know to yourself. You never know who is lurking and gathering information on message boards, MySpace pages and profiles, etc. Better safe than sorry!
Please be sure to look at your bios and make sure that there is not any identifying personal information or photos.
OPSEC/PERSEC FAQ's
"Can I have a countdown ticker?": The short answer is no. Anything hinting at a troop movement, whether alone or in a group, is strictly prohibited. If you do want and must have a ticker, use a count up ticker. IE: He has been gone for xxx days. If you MUST tell someone what is happening follow these examples...
Safe:
“My Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie is coming home soon!”
“A few more months and he’ll hopefully be home!”
“Spoke with my Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie today and they are busy!”
Not Safe:
“My Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie will be home between 5-10 June!”
“5 days until I see my Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie.”
“He’s due home in July!”
“Spoke with my Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie today and they are busy doing patrols in XYZ province.”
The "Not Safe" examples are ACTUAL status messages pulled from people's FB and Myspace accounts.
Posting specific information can and will delay homecomings. It has happened before.
"I have a Facebook and MySpace; how do I keep myself safe?": You can take simple steps to keep yourself and your information safe by making them private and only inviting people you know to view your page. This can extend far past these two networking sites. Google is a powerful tool. One can Google the smallest bit of information and come up with thousands of hits for YOU. It is possible and has happened. You are not invincible. Take the correct steps to safeguard your accounts and your information. Remember to safeguard your Knot/Nest Bio as well! And remember that what you say and do online can affect you and possibly your spouse's career in the military.
"There's a picture of my husband/myself I want to use in my sig. He's/I'm in uniform and it shows his/my name and/or rank. Can I use it?": This is a judgment call. If your name is very unique and can be seen in the picture, blur out the name (a number of photo sites offer this feature) or pick a different picture. If you have a very common last name like Smith or Jones, it probably won't hurt you unless he/you are very high ranking, which could make you potentially easy to find.
"What do I say to someone IRL who is violating OPSEC/PERSEC?": If it's a small thing, just bring it up in a friendly matter. Be sure to know exactly what the "violation" is when explaining to them that they violated OPSEC/PERSEC. If it's a major violation, get in contact with them immediately. If they are unwilling to change what they are doing, it is okay to take it up the Chain of Command (COC) to get it fixed. If they won't listen to you, chances are, they'll listen to someone in direct authority over them or their husbands.
Please be sure to look at your bios and make sure that there is not any identifying personal information or photos.
OPSEC/PERSEC FAQ's
"Can I have a countdown ticker?": The short answer is no. Anything hinting at a troop movement, whether alone or in a group, is strictly prohibited. If you do want and must have a ticker, use a count up ticker. IE: He has been gone for xxx days. If you MUST tell someone what is happening follow these examples...
Safe:
“My Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie is coming home soon!”
“A few more months and he’ll hopefully be home!”
“Spoke with my Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie today and they are busy!”
Not Safe:
“My Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie will be home between 5-10 June!”
“5 days until I see my Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie.”
“He’s due home in July!”
“Spoke with my Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie today and they are busy doing patrols in XYZ province.”
The "Not Safe" examples are ACTUAL status messages pulled from people's FB and Myspace accounts.
Posting specific information can and will delay homecomings. It has happened before.
"I have a Facebook and MySpace; how do I keep myself safe?": You can take simple steps to keep yourself and your information safe by making them private and only inviting people you know to view your page. This can extend far past these two networking sites. Google is a powerful tool. One can Google the smallest bit of information and come up with thousands of hits for YOU. It is possible and has happened. You are not invincible. Take the correct steps to safeguard your accounts and your information. Remember to safeguard your Knot/Nest Bio as well! And remember that what you say and do online can affect you and possibly your spouse's career in the military.
"There's a picture of my husband/myself I want to use in my sig. He's/I'm in uniform and it shows his/my name and/or rank. Can I use it?": This is a judgment call. If your name is very unique and can be seen in the picture, blur out the name (a number of photo sites offer this feature) or pick a different picture. If you have a very common last name like Smith or Jones, it probably won't hurt you unless he/you are very high ranking, which could make you potentially easy to find.
"What do I say to someone IRL who is violating OPSEC/PERSEC?": If it's a small thing, just bring it up in a friendly matter. Be sure to know exactly what the "violation" is when explaining to them that they violated OPSEC/PERSEC. If it's a major violation, get in contact with them immediately. If they are unwilling to change what they are doing, it is okay to take it up the Chain of Command (COC) to get it fixed. If they won't listen to you, chances are, they'll listen to someone in direct authority over them or their husbands.
