Air Force Rescinds New Guidance on WikiLeaks

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2011/02/af_rescinds_guidance.html

February 9th, 2011 by Steven Aftergood

Secrecy News reported Monday on strange new guidance from the Air Force 
Materiel Command declaring that Air Force employees and even their family 
members could be prosecuted under the Espionage Act for accessing the WikiLeaks 
web site.  On Monday night that new guidance was abruptly withdrawn.

Lt. Col. Richard L. Johnson of Air Force Headquarters released this statement:

“Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) recently published an internal news story 
that discussed the implications of downloading presumed classified information 
from WikiLeaks. The release was not previously coordinated with Headquarters 
Air Force and has been removed from the AFMC website. The Air Force has 
provided guidance to military members and employees to avoid downloading what 
could be classified information into Air Force unclassified networks and 
reminded them that publication of information does not itself constitute 
declassification of such information. The Air Force guidance did not address 
family members who are not Air Force members or employees. The Air Force defers 
to the Department of Justice in all non-military matters related to WikiLeaks.”

A copy of the withdrawn release is archived here.  See also “US air force 
backtracks over WikiLeaks ban” by Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian, February 8,  
and “No espionage charges for airmen on Wikileaks” by Scott Fontaine, Air Force 
Times, February 8.
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2011/02/af_rescinds_guidance.html
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