Before sending, check e-mail for personal information

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James M. Hodgman
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Air Force members emailing work home could find themselves locked out of their work e-mail accounts if they fail to protect Personally Identifiable Information.

According to an official memorandum from Air Force Space Command, the command responsible for operating, securing and defending the Air Force Network, users -- military, civilians or contractors -- suspected of PII breaches will have their accounts suspended. The process to regain access to the network can be lengthy and requires the approval of the first O-6 in the member's chain of command.

Lt. Gen. Tom Jones, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa vice commander, recently sent an e-mail command-wide stressing the importance of protecting PII.

"While we need people's personal information to perform our functions and duties, we must also take care to protect its disclosure," Jones wrote. "As you can imagine, if this information gets into the wrong hands you or one of your fellow teammates may suffer social, economic, or physical harm."

PII is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace a person's identity. Examples include a Social Security Number, passport number, personal address, phone number, birth date and employment information. A complete list can be found in Air Force Instruction 33-332, The Air Force Privacy and Civil Liberties Program.

Sending PII via e-mail is a common practice and securing those e-mails is a major concern for the command, said Tech. Sgt. Tony Gallegos, USAFE-AFAFRICA Freedom of Information Act manager.

Every Airman, civilian and family member is responsible for properly protecting PII, Gallegos said. He also said an easy way to protect PII and avoid privacy violations is by asking if the information about to be sent could harm someone in any way, should that information fall into the wrong hands.

If the answer is yes, then users must ensure those e-mails are sent encrypted. Additionally, the sender must ensure the receiver has an official need to know the PII contained in the e-mail.

Encrypting PII allows secure transmission. Additional information on protecting PII can be found on the Air Force Portal under the Cyber Threats and Information tab, as well as at http://dpclo.defense.gov/privacy/.

For more information about PII, contact the local base privacy manager.