Posted by Mike Bobbitt (Webmaster) from Ottawa ON Canada on January 15, 19100 at 17:24:48:
I've heard some interesting news lately regarding "unofficial" military sites like this one.
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a fellow who works for Information Systems in DND. He had a large list of "unofficial" sites that were not in compliance with the current DND policy, and apparently someone high up the chain had recently ordered a clean-up of them. My name got on the list from this site, which I'm told is not in compliance with the policies.
He requested some information on this site, which I obliged. He didn't ask for anything that a bit of research wouldn�t pick up as public information anyway. After I sent the info, I didn't hear back, and assumed the matter was over.
Then, last night, I received a phone message from the same individual. He was very courteous, and on the surface, what he was saying sounds like a great deal. Essentially, his group is offering to host the unofficial military sites, provide technical assistance, translation, and even funding. The catch is, you then have to be compliant with DND policy.
So the deal is that DND will give you unlimited resources for your site (to hear them say it, at least), but then the site must conform to what I can only imagine are very stringent rules. (I have a copy, I haven't read them though.)
This site is run on private equipment, with private internet service and private resources. No public funds or military personnel are used to maintain it, so I believe it's untouchable for DND. The only way I could be forced into compliance with the policies is if I voluntarily turned the site over to this new DND initiative, which I have no intention of doing.
While it would be great to have the additional support, I would hate the thought of having services turned off or new material screened. In my opinion, much of the value that this site has to offer is based on the fact that it *isn't* attached to the powers that be, allowing a lot more freedom of content.
Still, I'd be interested to hear any feedback on this issue, maybe someone has heard more than me, or I'm being unduly suspicious.
Cheers