Difficult times for some American bloggers…
I told you a while ago that the U.S. Army had defined its policy about blogging from Iraq. It started to apply it to a soldier, who was dropped from the rank of specialist to private first class. And CNET News.com adds that the blogger will have to pay a fine of $1,640 dollars to the Army. In a very different context, the Associated Press reports that the Automobile Club of Southern California has fired 27 employees for posting messages on a popular social networking Web site even if they were written on their own time at home.
Here are some details about the U.S. soldier punished because of his blog.
Leonard Clark, a 40-year-old Arizona National Guardsman who is currently on active duty in Baghdad, was charged with violating two articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which prohibit soldiers from releasing or “encouraging widespread publication” of classified or specific information about troop movement and location, soldiers who have been attacked or hit, and military strategy, the statement said.
The military has not specified which portions of Clark’s blog broke the rules and did not respond to requests for clarification Tuesday about its policy on blogs maintained by personnel.
And you’ll never know what Leonard Clark wrote because his blog is closed…
Now let’s look at the 27 workers fired in San Diego for their online comments.
The Automobile Club of Southern California fired the employees in one of its San Diego offices after at least one worker complained to management about feeling harassed by the comments, which were written by employees on the MySpace.com Web site on their own time at home.
Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp said comments were made about other workers’ weight and sexual orientation. Thorp said employees were also dismissed because they discussed online how they planned to slow down roadside assistance at work.
This might have not happened if the Automobile Club had clearly defined rules about blogging.
The club has no official policy concerning employee blogging. “We may develop one now,” Thorp added.
