The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday issued a directive prohibiting the use of the free phone messaging application WhatsApp by soldiers. The army is concerned that soldiers are using the popular app to share sensitive operational and professional information.
An IDF source said that "out of concern that in group discussions on WhatsApp classified information will be revealed, the IDF's Information Security Department carried out a situation assessment, and the new directive was handed down."
The IDF is mostly worried that outside elements will be able to use the information for their own purposes, especially because the app's usage rate has significantly increased in certain units and in discussion groups within those units.
Army Radio, which first reported the WhatsApp ban, said: "Innocent discussions in WhatsApp groups can provide insight into operational routines, timetables and who has what job. A simple connection between several WhatsApp groups, foreign to one another, can give the enemy a comprehensive intelligence picture."
The IDF Spokesperson's Office said, "Out of concern that classified information may be exposed and in accordance with the policies of the Information Security Department, there is a prohibition on the sharing of classified information [by any method]."
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