Not entirely true, have seen a video of a guy breaking into a security conference with an ID badge he made himself with a QR code that (if i remember correctly) led to Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You up, the name on the ID badge was also something along the lines of “baddie”. Obviously this can all be avoided via training and a properly thought out ID system.
I won’t argue that it’s not considerably easier for a “hostile state” to hack some cadets unprotected android phone, but it can be done - social hacking is real and people get paid to test a buildings security and often times it’s walk in with a high vis, a hard hat, and a ladder and nobody bats an eyelid.
Hopefully the app is as secure as the rest of the MODs systems.
This is what Commandant has to say about cadets who have families that can’t afford smartphones
I understand that some cadets are from families that cannot afford smart devices, but the same can be said of the affordability of subscriptions, combat uniform and clothing for DofE and adventurous training. That is why we have a charitable structure that holds funds at Wing, Region and National level to support the welfare needs of cadets most in need. With thought and effective communication these access issues are solvable.
I think he’s suggesting that CivComms will fund smartphones for those that don’t have one - has anyone seen the process yet for this? I have four cadets who will need a smartphone. I’ve had a chat with the Sqn committee but they have said as this says Wing, Region and National I’ll need to go upwards to ask.
One of the four without a smartphone isn’t down to cost though - the parents won’t allow them to have a smartphone at all; so don’t know how we can overcome that.
In all probability this has been covered in the Equality Impact & Social Inclusion Assessment which would be a legal requirement for changes like this. Hopefully they will publish this & then it becomes easier for everyone to understand the rationale & answer the same questions.
You realise most equality assessments, if they take place, are about three lines reluctantly written on the back of a fag packet after the tenth time the policy lawyers have nagged them about it. I would put good money on there not being anything that could be released here.
Exactly this. I haven’t seen any reason yet to issue cadets with a mobile phone, just to use for a particular event. They can access Cadet Portal on a PC or tablet while on the Sqn, if they have no access elsewhere.
We’re not set up to provide permanent loans of mobile phones, manage their use, replace any losses and reset/prepare for re-issue.
Those sqns need to be really careful. If they are doing it on a loan basis and therefore the sqn remaina the phones owner… imagine the poop storm when the phones come back with inappropriate images.
Could I recommend something that Squadron’s can request printing from HQ RAFAC.
All good to print a Cadet CV but end of the day that is just some A4 paper - can look a bit tacky! It would be lovely if Squadrons could request (near Discharge) a printed professional booklet from HQ RAFAC in a similar vein to the 3822 that pulls the cadets data from SMS - maybe having to be checked and approved first by the Squadron OC to make sure all the data is correct.
It would certainly stop my sentimentality for the 3822, and would let us have a great memory piece to hand over to the Cadet at the end of there career. Being on request only it wouldn’t need to be something printed on every discharge - just for Cadets that have had a worthwhile enough time in Cadets.
I think he’s saying that could be an option, but considering a less costly solution should be available as a native function, not sure it’s necessary or preferred.
It is possible to get something cheap, it is also possible to lock down any apps that could pose a risk behind a pin (browser, store, camera, album, email, etc).
Don’t think I’d be completely comfortable even then though.
However, is it possible that that lack of smart phone - once a concealable situation - could breed a divide?
and the guy is Max Fosh