(Newser) – The Air Force has blocked more than 25 websites from its computer system, effectively barring its personnel from using work computers to view the New York Times and other news sites that published documents released by WikiLeaks. Users who attempt to access these sites see a message reading "Access Denied: Internet usage is logged and monitored" and are warned that people trying to access unauthorized sites may be punished the Wall Street Journal reports.

The move follows government instructions that staff should not access the cables, although other service branches haven't followed suit and the Air Force measure is widely seen as pointless. "It is unfortunate that the US Air Force has chosen not to allow its personnel access to information that virtually everyone else in the world can access,” a New York Times spokeswoman says. Click for more.