What problems do you see arising when agencies allow employees to use blogs, wikis and other social-networking applications?
During the past several months, several government officials have raised concerns about the management and security risks associated with Web 2.0 applications. Here are some examples:
- At an April 3 AFFIRM meeting, Ed Meagher, the outgoing deputy chief information officer at the Interior Department, questioned the value of allowing low-ranking government employees to submit and edit articles on a wiki.
- On May 28, a NASA Johnson Space Flight Center contractor violated the Hatch Act by soliciting campaign donations through e-mail messages and blog postings while at work. A reader of a Federal Computer Week Web story on the violation complained that a mention of the word “blogging” in the headline may persuade some leaders to shy away from adopting blogs at their agencies.
- At a June 3 forum on collaborative government hosted by Deloitte and the National Academy of Public Administration, a State Department employee expressed concern about potentially false reports of threats posted on social media sites. She explained that intelligence agencies may end up wasting resources by following false tips from employees who might be insider threats.
What do you think? What risks do you see arising when agencies allow employees to use blogs, wikis and other social-networking applications? Post a comment on this blog (registration required) or send your comment to letters@fcw.com and we will post it for you.
