I’m confused. First I read this on the BBC, US military takes Iraq war to YouTube, snip:
The US military has taken the war in Iraq into cyberspace, with the launch of its own channel on the video-sharing website YouTube.
Its 25 brief clips include footage of US soldiers firing at unseen snipers in Baghdad, handing out footballs to Iraqi children and rescuing an Iraqi family injured by an explosive device.
In two months, the Multi-National Force-Iraq channel has climbed to 16th in YouTube’s most subscribed-to listing and has, the military says, just passed the 1 million video views mark.
With titles like Battle on Haifa Street and Iraqi Boy Scouts Prepare for Jamboree, the clips are intended to show a “boots on the ground” perspective of Iraq, a statement on the site says.
Link.
But then I just read this, US blocks soldiers from websites, also on the BBC, snip:
The US military is blocking troops from using certain websites for sharing photos, video clips and messages.
A memo from General BB Bell, US Forces Korea commander, says use of YouTube, MySpace and 11 other popular sites via US military portals will be blocked.
The US says the use is taking up too much bandwidth and slows down the military’s computer system.
But a US Strategic Command spokesman said a “secondary benefit” was to help operational security.
Link.
Bandwidth, really?