US Army tells remote workers to switch off their IoT devices (and then withdraws advice)

The US Army appears to have made a strategic withdrawal from advice it issued to remote workers last week about their use of smart IoT devices.

As several news outlets reported, the US Army issued a new policy requiring Army military, civillian, and contractors who are approved to telework to “remove or turn off all Internet of Things (IOT) devices in their workplaces”.

The message from the Army’s Chief Information Officer Dr Raj Iyer on how to protect and safeguard Department of Defense data by making more efforts to mitigate data leaks was clear:

Anytime smart IoT devices are powered on, they constantly listen and collect data by recording audio, transcripts, and even video. This means that Army military, civilian, and contractor personnel should protect themselves and the mission by:

Removing all IoT devices, with listening functions, from the work area.
Turning off or removing all personal mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets, in your work area.
Disabling audio access functions on personal assistant applications and devices.

Yes, this edict didn’t just require users to remove the likes of smart TVs and Alexa speakers from their environment, but also to turn off or remove smartphones which may respond to phrases like “Hey Siri” or “OK Google.”

The memo, since deleted from the US Army’s website, starkly stated no IoT devices would be tolerated in the remote workplace:

“Effective immediately, all personnel approved to telework must conduct work in an environment free of IoT devices.”

Wow. No IoT devices? Presumably that goes beyond smart speakers and TVs and smartphones, a ..

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