Picture posting of SOF personnel

[sgt gonzo]

As a ex US RANGER you most respect the owners wishes. SF pics are most of the time clasifid specialy if they are about op's and if owner is active duty Now it theyare only about them self's I belive it's ok If they are the original owners. (RANGERS LEAD THE WAY)

[RockStar4341]

From a Public Affairs Marine perspective here:

This is something we deal with often, every day, in fact. Our job is to get pics out to the public so we have to be sensitive to the OPSEC requirements our command dictates.

That being said...most of the time it really doesn't matter that these SF guys or whatever have their faces out there.

It is more of a courtesy for us not to take their picture than anything.

And when I do, I just don't release it. Hell, I take pictures of uber-classified stuff all the time but it doesn't get released.

In my MEU we have MARSOC, HET, Recon, Intel, EOD, all kinds of dudes who just don't like getting their pictures taken. Often it is just because they owe everybody in their section a case of beer if their picture gets published.

I agree with the site Administrator that if it is not a released photo and there is not documentation the photo is publishable then it shouldn't be out there.....in our world it is always better to err on the side of caution.

However....in reality I would say most of the time the egos of these people are what ends up being the issue, not that a terrorist is going to track them down based on a still photograph.

So even though most of the time it probably isn't a big deal, it CAN be, and that is too much of a chance to take for warriors on the pointy end of the spear.

Just my two cents.

[OnTheMove]

Interesting thread this, and thought I would add my 0.02 cents worth. Whenever I go to ANY unit ANYWHERE I make a point of asking those I am taking photos of if it is ok. There are usually three options.

1. Yeah sure, no problem.

2. Thanks but would prefer you didnt.

3. Yeah its ok but if you can disguise facial features that would be great.

Its amazing how many people will co-operate if you just ask them. I tell them who I am and where I am from and where I will be putting the pics. Most of the guys I have shot I keep in touch with on email as I usually end up sending them a bunch of pics back for their own keepsakes.

You also have a responsibility to be selective and cautious on what you both post and publish. For example some of the camps I visited in Afghanistan were home to SF personel so there are absolutely no images showing these guys faces posted. Do I have some of these people, yes I do, but they wont ever be posted.

I did ask some of the guys who were in my shots if they would mind if I had them in my shots and they were ok with it, but out of courtesy their faces got blurred anyway.

Look at my shots of the PSD contractors who were looking after us on the ground in the Helmand Valley, they all have the black line over their faces, yet the Afghan soldiers and Police were encouraging us to shoot pics. Like has been posted above it doesnt taken Einstein to work out who some of these people are.

Anyway just my input.

[The Beard]

Am I right in thinking the real risks to security are posed by those who are not ex-military? Surely those who have served their country wouldn't be so crass as to post compromising pics. Or would they? I work for the Police at an airport. On occasion we have military aircraft coming in capable of carrying 300 troops or more, not to mention new recruits. It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to take unwise photos and post them on here. One of the reasons I didn't post any personal information on here is if I put a pic up that perhaps I shouldn't it would be more difficult to identify where it was taken. I can't think of a much more significant coup for a terrorist organisation to be able to shoot down a military transport full of returning troops in their own country. Loose lips sink ships used to be a catch phrase in WWII, maybe we're looking at a modern equivalent with some photographs.

[Royal]

UKSF

Privately sourced pics of UKSF (and that includes SFSG) engaged on current operations will not be tolerated.

It doesn't matter where they came from - unless they are from a recognised news agency (in which case they are already widely disseminated) or are released by MoD they will go and you will have a holiday.

If in doubt, ask.

[JoeDan]

Security must always be the deciding factor. When a picture or document is encountered and the individual or text is possibly SOF, DELTA, or CIA related just drop the subject. If possible, contact the organizations or individuals involved and inform them of the situation so they can take corrective actions. The data shouldn't be posted here or anywhere else just to "scoop" everyone else that may have access to it. Remember the security briefings we went through in the Armed Services or in any related Defense industry? These sites are regularly combed by nefarious intel operators who would like nothing better than to gain whatever leverage possible against the men to whom we all owe so much. That leverage could range from outright assignation to threatening wives, children, parents and siblings. And trust me, the people these men are fighting will most assuredly hold the safety of families over their heads just to get them out of the Theater of Operations. A little respect and sound judgment on our part can go a long way towards keeping the upper hand. It actually gives us all a role in the fight. I prefer to fight with the Coalition.

[fullycognizant]

This is the internet be prepared for the Barbra Streisand effect to bite you in the ass. Nothing calls attention to an item like censoring it, it's like waving a red flag at any sophisticated analyst watching. Compare functions are really hot among open source analysts, and not just the ones working for the US.

[Royal]

This is the internet be prepared for the Barbra Streisand effect to bite you in the ass. Nothing calls attention to an item like censoring it, it's like waving a red flag at any sophisticated analyst watching. Compare functions are really hot among open source analysts, and not just the ones working for the US.

No shit fucknuts...

...and if there is nothing posted, there is nothing to compare is there?

[wwjs]

If someone wants to "persec" a picture (without using Patint), www.photohide.com is a good site for it.

[Royal]

If someone wants to "persec" a picture (without using Patint), www.photohide.com is a good site for it.

So you upload something you want to keep private to a public website that doesn't even have a secure (https or the like) connection?

More importantly, there is far more to PERSEC (and more importantly OPSEC) than pixelating a face. If you havn't sussed that I suggest that you don't post anything.