The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, along with the FBI, issued a joint intelligence bulletin to all current and former members of the military to clean out their social media accounts and be more wary of their activities posted online. They perceive a threat from ISIS groups who are known to monitor social media activity, as well as radical sympathizers.
The warning is the strongest yet ever issued by the two agencies. The fears stemmed following the attack on two Canadian soldiers last month by men who claimed to be ISIS converts but had no direct orders or connection to the militant group. They fear that ISIS may also be targeting American soldiers on U.S. soil.
The federal bulletin, which news agencies were not permitted to receive a copy of, was sent to all active law enforcement and military agencies to warn troops of the perceived threat.
"The FBI and DHS recommend that current and former members of the military review their online social media accounts for any information that might serve to attract the attention of ISIL [ISIS] and its supporters," the bulletin is said to have stated.
Specialists say they are afraid of copycat attacks on military personnel in the U.S. by individuals who may or may not have direct contact with ISIS or their supporters.
According to reports, some U.S. special operations agencies and military branches have already begun last August locking down, scrubbing, deactivating, and locking out the personal Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts of their personnel at the urging of security officials.
The warning apparently comes after the FBI said they received intelligence reports saying that "individuals overseas are spotting and assessing like-minded individuals who are willing and capable of conducting attacks against current and former U.S.-based members of the United States military."
Although active and off-duty military personnel have been issued the bulletin, Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby claims that the warning is not meant to force anyone to silence their online voices altogether. In an interview with ABC News, he said that they are only reminding their people to exercise caution in the light of individuals who may be seeking to harm them or attempt to recruit them.
