Article content continued

The person was listed as residing in Canada, the report says. And although officials didn’t believe there was a direct threat to National Defence or the military, “this individual’s posting does illustrate the caution and discretion currently required on the part of CAF members when engaging in social media activity.”

But the report does not detail any other incidents, nor does the previous quarterly summary covering July to September 2014. Rather, the most significant concern during that period was when someone tried to blackmail a military member by posting a sexually explicit video on YouTube.

National Defence spokesman Daniel Blouin wouldn’t say how many online threats have been made against Canadian military personnel or their friends and family, and whether the number is growing, as the report suggests.

“The use of social media platforms to target members of the Canadian Armed Forces is a concerning, but not an unheard-of threat,” Blouin said in a prepared statement.

“Individual members are highly visible and powerful symbols of the military and the Government of Canada, and the unique position of trust held by the CAF in Canadian society makes military members vulnerable to predation by adversarial or criminal elements.”

National Defence restricted media interviews and photographs of Canadian Forces members being sent to help fight ISIL last October, saying it was concerned for their safety and the safety of their families. It has since expanded that policy to the majority of Canadian military personnel.

The move ended a long-standing tradition of journalists capturing the often-emotional scenes of soldiers and families saying goodbye, and of Canadian Forces members being allowed to speak openly about their jobs and experiences.

Canadian military personnel have been targets of more than social media campaigns. Two Canadian soldiers, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, were killed in separate terror attacks in Canada last October, within days of each other.

lberthiaume@ottawacitizen.com

Twitter.com/leeberthiaume