Good morning class,

The problem I will be exploring for my final papr is the threat

Good morning class,

The problem I will be exploring for my final papr is the threat that social media has to Homeland Security. To further explain this topic, I will be researching how social media impacts the safety and privacy of the people of United States. This problem is important to understand and shed light on because negative events stem from social media use every day. This includes scams, data breaches, and identity theft. The majority of Americans are on social media apps, especially the young population who are more susceptible to these threats.

The Homeland Security mission is to protect the United States from terrorism, cyber-attacks, and many other threats. Unfortunately, social media leaves users open to these threats, despite the efforts of Homeland Security. Whether the source originates from another country, or here in the United States, individuals and groups with mal intent can easily create a community on social media. These apps have allowed worldwide communication significantly easier than it was years ago. While this does have positives, it allows for the potential of crucial information getting into the wrong hands.

From experience in the U.S. Coast Guard, we struggle with Operational Security due to social media. One of the common threats is having a family member post our warships intentions. It may seem harmless to post on social media how proud they are that their child is getting underway on a specific date to go to the Caribbean. This single post on social media has the potential to damage Homeland Security and leave the warship open to an attack and breach of privacy. Social media needs to be better protected to prevent the distribution of information that could be detrimental to the United States. With the rapid growth and everyday use of social media apps, the threats to Homeland Security grow as well.

Katelyn