Air Force Blocks Access to Websites With Leaked Cables

The Air Force is preventing personnel from accessing on their work computers more than 25 websites and blogs that have posted cables obtained by WikiLeaks.

When employees attempt to view The New York Times, Britain's The Guardian, Germany's Der Spiegel, Spain's El Pais, and other sites that posted the full, still-classified cables, the screen says "Access Denied: Internet usage is logged and monitored," the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

"News media websites will be blocked if they post classified documents from the WikiLeaks website," Lt. Col. Brenda Campbell, spokeswoman for the Air Force Space Command, which oversees the service's cyber systems, told the Times. "This is similar to how we'd block any other website that posted classified information."

According to the Times, only sites that post full documents will be blocked. Spokesmen for the other military services told the newspaper they have no plans to block the sites, because the Office of Management and Budget and Defense Department already distributed guidance reminding employees and contractors not to read classified information unless they have the appropriate clearance.