White House bans staffers from Twitter

WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- White House staffers have been blocked from using Twitter at work, press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

UPI.com

Gibbs disclosed the block Friday, saying he doesn't use the popular social networking site himself because the world already knows enough about what he is doing, Tribune Newspapers reported Sunday. Gibbs said he really doesn't know why the chief executive's offices blocked access to the site. Maybe to avoid taxpayer-funded tweets, Tribune Newspapers said. President Barack Obama reportedly posts on two Twitter sites: @WhiteHouse and @BarackObama.

Couple things I found odd with this one. No explanation, but we've seen these sites used to spread information before when other mainstream media sites have been disabled.

Gibbs thinks the world already knows enough about what he is doing? What IS it he does again?

...and why does Obama still get to do it if no one else does? Just cuz he's the boss?

Leaks have always been a problem.

I would suppose that Twitter just makes them easier.

Government, even transparent government, needs some secrecy and privacy to be effective.

It seems to me to be a matter of reasonable security.

I wouldn't put too much warrant into the 'why' they are doing this. I can see perfectly logical reasons for it as well as him 'the boss' still being able to. First, people like to make themselves out to know 'things'. Twitter is a place where someone working within the White House could really let little things slip here and there. I wouldn't want that to happen if I were in the White House. Obama won't let things accidentally slip that he doesn't want out there so that is why he is still doing it.

Just my thought.

It's part of their "new" transparency policy.

Makes alot of sense.

I have a roadside assistance business that operates like a call center. My employees work with credit cards all day. I don't allow them to have cell phones on the call floor because of cameras and txt messaging.

Makes it easy for them to steal valuable information.

The White House, is simply covering themselves from employee abuse of sensitive information and probable leaks/hoaxes.

~Keeper

Question - Shouldn't they be working instead of 'twittering' while on the job and while getting paid with my tax money? Answer - YES.

All well and good to decide, pretty suddenly to ban Twitter....but this IS the White House after all...why were they using Twitter to START with?

I agree it's a security risk....staffers are a security risk...

I reckon I WOULD rather have them working, whatever it is they do, while at work....instead of tweeting.

Probably the same reason it's barred from my leaden 9 to 5.

The NFL also banned tweets during games.

People really shouldn't be tweeting during work, unless part of their job is to tweet (such as journalists).

As a side: does anybody else get a mental picture of tooting whenever they hear the word tweeting? When I read this, my first thought was "those jerks had BETTER NOT be doing lines of coc aine while they're on the clock!!!"