Digital Photo Frames: National Security Risk

The headquarters of at least one Combatant Command - which I will leave unnamed - has expanded the Defense Department ban on storage devices that use flash media to include digital photo frames, which are just like regular picture frames except they display a digital, not paper, photo, a reader told me in an e-mail sent from his home computer.

This reader said, "Background checks, loyalty oaths, criminal penalties don't seem to be enough. We can be trusted with our national secrets, but we can't be trusted not to plug something into our computers.

"In 25 years as an electronics engineer, I have yet to discover a way for errant bits to jump from a PC to another computer device without a deliberate act. I really enjoyed the photos of my family, but they are now a danger to national security."

I'd like to hear if any other commands, departments or agencies have banned digital photo frames and why.