Posted on Sep 13, 2020
Is there a regulation stating you need to download signal on your personal phone?
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If so can somebody quote it with where I can find it.
Legal Services
Adjutant General (AG)
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 5
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No one can force you to download ANYTHING onto your personal phone. I believe an MI BDE found out the hard way on that one...yes it was 504th MI BDE made news about forcing people to download an app that was developed for the unit but wasn't secure.
And a BN at Ft Riley came under investigation for a CSM telling them to download an app and that no one could leave for the weekend until each phone was inspected that it had - another no-no.
""The only exception to the Fourth Amendment in the military context is a health and welfare inspection. Inspections of this type allow commanders to look at service members' living quarters for safety purposes," said Dwight Stirling, a reserve JAG officer and CEO of the Center for Law and Military Policy. "A health and welfare inspection, however, is not a proper basis to force a service member to reveal the personal contents of a phone. Data on a phone does not endanger personal safety. An act of this type constitutes a search and can only occur if there is probable cause the phone contains evidence of a crime.""
If you really want to - just get a flip phone or a burner phone that you use to give for alert roster purposes and use for the Army. You don't have to give them your smartphone number. That way they really can't try to get you to download any apps.
But for personal phones no - they cannot make you put anything on it and they can't look at your phone without the proper legal authorities. So a CSM can't just take your phone and look at it - nor your PSG. Nor anyone else in your chain.
And a BN at Ft Riley came under investigation for a CSM telling them to download an app and that no one could leave for the weekend until each phone was inspected that it had - another no-no.
""The only exception to the Fourth Amendment in the military context is a health and welfare inspection. Inspections of this type allow commanders to look at service members' living quarters for safety purposes," said Dwight Stirling, a reserve JAG officer and CEO of the Center for Law and Military Policy. "A health and welfare inspection, however, is not a proper basis to force a service member to reveal the personal contents of a phone. Data on a phone does not endanger personal safety. An act of this type constitutes a search and can only occur if there is probable cause the phone contains evidence of a crime.""
If you really want to - just get a flip phone or a burner phone that you use to give for alert roster purposes and use for the Army. You don't have to give them your smartphone number. That way they really can't try to get you to download any apps.
But for personal phones no - they cannot make you put anything on it and they can't look at your phone without the proper legal authorities. So a CSM can't just take your phone and look at it - nor your PSG. Nor anyone else in your chain.
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I will echo what has been said. I have had my Soldiers in the past download WhatsApp due to it functionality. I never gave them an order to do it so there were a few that were not in the group chats. Eventually they did. I don't mind texting but group chats can be a issue to maintain. The issue we all run into in the military is that so often my personal life get invaded by some sort of higher precedence that we are Soldiers 24/7. I don't agree with this. I want my Soldiers to feel like a person as much as they can when they are off duty and not like a Soldier 24/7.
With your leaders telling you to download this app it may not be something bad. It may be beneficial. I have never used that app but I am fan of most of these apps. Finally the Army has Teams from microsoft that does a good job but it really not meant for everyone in the Army. If you feel this app is invasive to your personal device then I would not download but it would make my life easier than I would.
With your leaders telling you to download this app it may not be something bad. It may be beneficial. I have never used that app but I am fan of most of these apps. Finally the Army has Teams from microsoft that does a good job but it really not meant for everyone in the Army. If you feel this app is invasive to your personal device then I would not download but it would make my life easier than I would.
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SGM (Join to see)
There is no reason to start working 24/7 just because you are connected to work through your phone, app or not. Those of us that have had gov phones for the last 15 years can see our mil email 24 hours a day, and we manage just fine with letting regular work wait until morning.
For now, these apps are how units are getting through the day during COVID, where units aren't allowed in their buildings or offices, or are split into coming in as part of smaller shifts, or whatever their mitigation plan is.
No one is saying that you can't just close the app at 1700 if you are in the kind of unit (most units) that don't handle emergencies 24 hours a day.
For now, these apps are how units are getting through the day during COVID, where units aren't allowed in their buildings or offices, or are split into coming in as part of smaller shifts, or whatever their mitigation plan is.
No one is saying that you can't just close the app at 1700 if you are in the kind of unit (most units) that don't handle emergencies 24 hours a day.
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SSG Jason Missildine
Pschh. 2010 I was told I can answer my personal phone when it's called or I can check into staff duty every 4 hours.
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