JP
My addiction to World of Warcraft has been suppressed for several months now. I can’t say how long I’ll be able to keep it up once Wrath of the Lich King hits later this year, but for now, I have one more reason to stay away. While I’m not a terrorist, I’m still thoroughly disturbed to hear that our own government is using the game to hunt down extremists.
The Reynard Project is set to study the behavior of gamers in online worlds such as WoW and other MMOs. Once it has collected enough data, they will be able to set up their software for “automatically detecting suspicious behavior and actions in the virtual world.”
Like I said, I’m no terrorist, however, I have no desire for the Feds to come busting down my door because I’m “acting suspicious” in a game that has me slaughtering fictional creatures for pleasure. It just begs the question, what is suspicious?
[via GameSpot]
7 Responses to “US government to spy on MMO gamers”
Orclev February 27, 2008
Can we declare the gold seller spambots as terrorists?
NeutralDrack February 28, 2008
You clearly do not know the definition of terrorism or the full extent of the threat it represents to your freedoms, which you almost assuredly take for granted on a daily basis. Suspicious in this case is an explicitly directed term, focusing on actions of a particular nature….not a generalized suspicious like you are thinking.
Do a little research before you start blogging.
-3Orclev February 28, 2008
Well, I see we have out official unofficial piece of propaganda from a government shill accounted for already. If they meant specific actions, they would have said specific actions, not suspicious activity. You can’t phrase something vaguely and then say “Oh, but we won’t use it like that” when people complain it gives too much power.
-1Orclev February 28, 2008
Also, terrorism doesn’t represent ANY threat to my freedoms, only threats to my life. The government on the other hand, most definitely represents a threat to my freedoms.
+2James February 29, 2008
indeed orclev.
i dont care what the US government does as long as canada doesn’t decide its a good idea and follow suit.
+2If this crap has any truth it makes me sick to my stomach. I should damn well have the right to go around and say ’so and so deserves to be shot, stabbed, hutted, hanged, maimed or killed in any which way shape or form if i so choose. Including whichever moron though of studying mmo’s to find potential terrorist threats. Doesn’t mean i’m goign to go out and blow someone up.
It all starts here. This is going to snowball from now till god knows when. Pretty soon will be living in a world liek that of the old stallone movie ‘The demolition man’ i believe it was XD. Next I’ll get a ticket for cursing in public.
lostcause64 June 12, 2008
Drack, are you really foolish enough to believe that the government has our best interests in mind when they start monitoring every aspect of our lives?? It’s already getting out of control, and I’m afraid that it’s only going to get worse. When the police can pull you over just because you don’t look like you belong in that area, something is terribly wrong. The next thing you know, you’ll hear “Papers, please!” while walking down the street!! Have you heard about the National ID card the “Dept of Homeland Security is pushing??
The government was meant to be fluid, changeable by the people so governed. But as we give up more of our freedoms in the name of protecting us from terrorism, we lose the ability to change our government. Then it becomes a world like depicted in Demolition Man or The Running Man. Suddenly, it’s a terrorist act to have a dissenting voice, or opinion, about the government or society even though it’s our duty according to the Founding Fathers of our country to keep our government in check or to change it to bring it back under control. It’s not far away from happening if things don’t change.
Neutralunhappy_camper July 24, 2008
oh let’s see if I remember this right..
1. Control the media – Check
Neutral2. disarm the populace – check (in some areas)
3. then you demand all citizens have ID on them at all times to help weed out the undesirables and dissidents – in progress
4. Start migrating those with opposing viewpoints to reeducation centers – don’t laugh..
5. Well we all know what 5 is, don’t we.