US Defense Department declared it does not plan to ban digital cameras, phonecams and wireless gadgets, as many reported. Nevertheless, the increasing presence of these devices on the field cause concerns among military officials.

The Pentagon has issued last month a directive, called “Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services and Technologies in the Department of Defense Global Information Grid” to strictly monitor the use of wireless technology.

The highlights of the directive:
– soldiers, contractors and visitors to Defense Department can only carry handsets conform to the military’s security standards, which means strong authentication and encryption technologies.
– the devices cannot be used for storing or transmitting classified information.

But so far commanders in the field haven’t been ordered to comply with the directive. It is just considered “general guidance” and commanders are free to decide how to implement it in their own commands.

However, it now seems that some Defense Department lawyers are discussing the possibility to supplement the directive to prevent another Abu Ghraib scandal.

Last month directive includes also implementation of antivirus software on PDAs and smartphones and a recommandation that all voice communication should be encrypted.

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