As a military site that supports our boy and girls in uniform, this site enforces guidelines that fall under the banner of OPSEC.

If you're new to military life or this site or perhaps have no military knowledge whatsoever, read on to find out what OPSEC is and what you should know to protect those in uniform.

The premise of OPSEC is that the accumulation of one or more elements of sensitive or unclassified information or data could combine to create a situation that may cause harm by revealing information not normally available. We agree that what you say may not be an OPSEC issue, but when used in open discussion, may inadvertently provide tangible links to other sources.

Comments and historical personal accounts over the course of weeks or months may be recorded and analysed to add to existing information filling in the gaps. It is the little things, gathered together from multiple sources over time that can be linked and confirmed to provide a large picture for a third party who may have their own agenda. Some things just shouldn't be revealed online and here, that's not open to personal preference.

Here is a list of items that will be edited and should NEVER be posted on any community message boards, bulletins or members pages:

Movements: Dates of field exercise, date of returning soldiers from a deployment, times, means of embarkation of deployments, and information regarding airports members will use to fly in or out of. Please remember that "next Tuesday" is a specific date. Such statements will be removed.

Deployments: The media are respecting OPSEC, and even though they are in several regions with our soldiers, they are not broadcasting what may be harmful to the operations being conducted or the security of the safe zones. What is okay to post in regards to what members may be doing in different regions is subjective at best so any information that appears to compromise a soldier, Unit or operational deployment, will be removed. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Unit Specific Information: Precise information about units and operations is not acceptable and will be removed. The fact that a unit changes its minor unit tactics, or changes its weapons scale of issue, is to be considered inside information and we see no reason for you to share it with those who do not have a need to know. It might not be a big deal to you, but it could alert someone who knows what he or she is looking for.

Base Security: Some of us are regularly invited into barracks and camps for a variety of reasons, all legitimate. Information regarding gate security, ID checks, car inspections, shift changes, additional secure areas or new technology that is being used should NEVER be posted and will be removed. We don't believe there are Reds under the bed on this site but we believe we have an obligation of responsibility to serving members, not to provide information that may help a third party to embarrass or inflict damage on any member, Unit or barracks.

We've always provided an open forum to talk about anything you care to discuss, but when it comes to those we love and support and their safety, we don't feel being extra cautious is a bad thing. We understand that some of you may have not served for sometime and our perspective of operational security may not be as educated as it should be. Not only do we believe we have a responsibility to our serving members, but we have a responsibility to our site members, to take every precaution to save you from yourself.

There are some topics which do get us hot under the collar from time to time and in posting replies we are not always aware of those inadvertent lapses in concentration. So what do you do if you find a post is edited or removed? If you would like to talk about it please e-mail an Admin or Moderator to talk privately.

Do not draw attention to the problem in the forum because it will only increase the drama and stress. We are happy to discuss our reasons by email. If at some point we do act a bit on the paranoid side and overstep bounds and you show us the error of our ways, we'll be the first to apologise and immediately rectify the situation!

The changes in the world today are new to all of us, but as long as we communicate effectively with each other we can't go wrong! Personal Preference: Some people feel more secure by never revealing where they live or their real name. Others don't mind giving out this kind of information.

If you aren't sure what is right for you, hopefully the following will help you. .

All Dates of travel, both personal and service related should not be revealed. . If you are a serving member, returning or embarking on Leaving or R&R, details should not be publicised. .

Private addresses, email, wives or children's names, telephone numbers, are confidential and if published, an invasion of privacy. .

Exact locations of Barracks, bases, Ports are not warranted. If people need them they will find them themselves. Don't give out exact Unit numbers or Unit locations. 

Christmas Camp security arrangements, details of rear detail components, and access to the barracks violates trust. Before you give away any information to another person, decide if they have the need to know.

This is an important concept. All information entrusted to you should remain with you, hence the word trust. There is no site requirement to share it. If it's questionable as to whether or not you should publish the information, ask an ADMIN or Moderator or keep it to yourself. E-mail, Private Messages and Instant Messengers:

Simply put, none of these are secure. Keep in mind that the Internet is just servers that store and transfer information connected to other servers that store and transfer information and when requested, transfer information. When these transfers take place, any server within the WWW your information travels through can store that information for someone to go back at a later date and recover.

Email is your private domain and we have no say over your content, however, if you use an email address of site members, then it's very much our concern. So if you are sharing information that would violate OPSEC, please reconsider. It's easy to feel that your normal channels of communication are private, but if it's being transferred over the internet, it is NOT private.

Summary:

Our hope is that you'll come away from this policy thinking of ways to protect the information you do know in order to keep your loved ones and yourselves, safe. We are a responsible site, but we are only as responsible as our members.

After reviewing the preceding OPSEC guidelines we realise that you may or may not agree with all of the above. Your safety and the security of your family is ultimately your responsibility. It is not the task of Diggerz to protect the security of our Armed Forces, but we do have a responsibility not to assist any third party with an agenda. Please use common dog sense while addressing any issue in the public forum or chat room, and remain aware what information you may be passing on.