Soldiers to tweet from the front

American soldiers are now able to literally tweet messages to loved ones and supporters from the battlefields, thanks to new rules introduced by the Pentagon. US officials have lifted a longstanding ban, which prohibited active soldiers from sending messages home about their life on the frontlines and opened the door for Web 2.0 technology to make its way into the world’s most dangerous war zones. The Pentagon had been very concerned up until now that allowing soldiers to use Twitter, Facebook or Youtube and to permit them to blog about their experiences in battle would result in dangerous leaks and may expose military secrets. There were also worries that thousands of soldiers using Web 2.0 technology on the military’s overseas computers would eat away at the army’s bandwidth. But after a seven-month long review of the Pentagon’s policy, soldiers will be able to share more personal information on their experiences in war zones than ever before, adding thousands of new voices to the world’s most popular social networking sites.

But there will be limitations on access to social networking sites and other online content. For example, commanders will have the authority to temporarily block access to Web 2.0 technology, if they feel that this may use up too much bandwidth, or if military secrets may be at risk. Some of the biggest changes are likely to affect the Marines, where strict directives issued last August completely banned all access to Twitter. The Pentagon’s new directives, however, will require the Marines to dismantle these restrictions in short order.

One of the most important reasons for allowing soldiers access to social networking sites such as Facebook, is the comfort this form of contact can give military families back home. Their loved ones will be able to show that they are doing well—even in the most dangerous situations—by posting a simple status update, adding a photo or commenting on the profiles of friends and family members.