Israeli soldier jailed for Facebook photo

The Israeli Defence Force trawls through social networking sites to find pictures that should not have been posted

A member of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has been jailed for 19 days after posting a picture of himself on Facebook without permission.

Reports in the Jerusalem Post claim that the soldier came from the elite 8200 military intelligence unit of the IDF, which specialises in encryption and military information.

He was jailed for taking a photo inside the base, something the IDF is cracking down on.

According to the paper the IDF now has a unit which trawls through Facebook and other social networking sites to find pictures that should not have been posted.

These include pictures of weapons systems, the interior of bases or any staff positions.

"Regulations stipulate that it is not permissible to film or take pictures inside any IDF facility or during an IDF operation unless the photographer has express permission," an IDF spokesman told the paper.

"The IDF is working to raise awareness among soldiers and reservists about operational and security dangers that maybe caused by classified information carelessly uploaded to the internet.

"The IDF is taking a broad response to the problem, which includes education, monitoring and disciplinary enforcement."

The Israeli Air Force recently banned all serving members from posting personal images on Facebook and it seems that the IDF is planning similar moves.