Gunner's Blog

You are not alone, Mr. Goldstein hasn't singled you out. In July of 2003 he wrote me an email indicating that publishing all Fleet Home Town News Center (FHTNC, Norfolk, Va) releases posed a security threat to our sailors and Marines. I had been publishing all of FHTNC's releases on my website (www.usafns.com); and Mr. Goldstein sent me an email identifying himself as the "Webmaster of the Navy" and asking me to cease publishing the releases.

I would have thought that the Webmaster of the Navy would have a full plate taking care of security of the US Navy's intranet and internet web servers. We certainly have had many breaches of US Navy internet security as has been prominently reported regarding the 100,000 records of Naval (Navy and Marine) Aviators and Aircrews. Recent news reports indicated that those records had been available on the US Navy Safety Centers website for about 6 months.

When Mr. Goldstein asked me to stop publishing the news releases, I respectfully declined, citing several arguments and statistacal information that a rational person would be forced to conclude that legally the releases became Public Domain at the moment the releases were mailed or e-mailed to any media outlet. See (http://www.usafns.com/cgi-bin/2005/09/chinfofhtncusafns-debacle-7-my.htm) for full details. CHINFO RAdm S. Pietripaoli ordered FHTNC to cease sending me email releases on 12 June 2003. Subsequent efforts to have that decision reversed have proven fruitless.

I have a question - since when does any arm of the US Navy have investigative and enforcement authority over any civilian, or civilian websites? Investing that authority in the Public Affairs arm of the US Navy is laughable.

I think that Mr. Goldstein should be reined in, and told to restrict his efforts to cleaning up the security issues within the Navy's cyberspace, and leave the civilian enforcement to the duly constituted Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement agencies.

To make it very short and unambiguous "He should mind his own business" and help identify and close security holes in the Navy's websites.

Regards,

Charles F. Mitchell

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Above is a posting I made in response to Batman47's posting on the San Diego Community Forum entitled:

Letter to Alan P. Goldstein CIV CHINFO WASHINGTON DC, CHINFO

Link: http://community.fox6.com/forums/thread/654650.aspx

~g