Is Your Unit Protecting You?

This may be hard to imagine, but your own organization may be endangering you and your family. 

Do they operate a public website?  Google Hangout group?  Facebook page?  How about a Community page?  What are the settings for them?  Do they post photographs?  Announce events?  

This week, I’ve been trying to register for three upcoming events:  a  formal, a meeting, and an outing.  The registration is all online, on public websites with the date, time, and location of our military organization’s gatherings.  We’re required to enter our PII and pay on this site.  The PII includes names, DOBs, rank, etc…  along with credit card information.  Luckily we don’t have to secure childcare, or we’d be entering PII for KIDS, also!

How many times have you and your service members been briefed on OPSEC and PERSEC by the military?  Were you advised not to announce your whereabouts, keep your social media footprint private, and guard your PII and information about your military affiliation?  Are you tired of rhetorical questions yet?  😀

I am BLOWN AWAY by the ignorance negligence of the staff who are announcing and processing the event registration and payments using online services.  That editorial change was made because I know they are aware of PERSEC conflicts about announcing our events via publicly-visible websites.

One company we have to use is owned by Ticketmaster, so there are additional fees WE pay for this ‘convenience’ (allowing this office to outsource their job.)  Because the company is Canadian, we can’t use the anonymous prepaid credit cards to make the payment.  Our first attempt was with a Visa, but it didn’t go through because the company was not in the US.  The next day, I found an American Express card that allows foreign transactions, but guess what you have to do to purchase it… register with all your PII and a photo ID.

My blood pressure is through the roof as I type this… I may need to back off the caffeine for the next few hours.  My poor husband.  He’s had to listen to me rant about this, bless his heart.  When he went to the office to ask about paying in person, he was told it wasn’t an option.  We’ll see.  I’m honestly at the point to say I’m not attending any of the three events.  Unfortunately for him, this is the ‘mandatory fun’ formal event and he has no choice.

Update to follow.

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