Alright - It's a serious question, I know it sounds a bit silly, but, I've been thinking about this for sometime now.

Do you think spies may utilize mmo's to communicate with sources or eachother or their home agency by using various mmo systems? (in game email and chat?).

It seems it would be rather easy to get away with, especially if you used a mmo themed communication code.  If you did it through some random small game from a country other than the U.S. it would be very hard for any govenment to get logs and records if they were suspicious.

Anyway, I know it might sound a bit ridiculous, but was just something that has crossed my mind from time to time...wondering what other people think?

Originally posted by nariusseldon
Why do they need to do that? There are easier ways. Just use yahoo mail and put encription/code on it. Why add one more layer of information?

Mainly because Yahoo, and lots of other big companies work in tandom with the U.S. government?  I dunno, I figured it would be preferable not to use a western owned company...since they can be indicted for information.

Also in some Eastern countries access to western owned search engines/services is limited.  However MMO access seems a lot easier to get (think China...)

I've thought about this too, seems like an easy way to communicate off the grid per se. 

I've heard that Al Qaeda uses web mail but never sends it, they simply share the email account and save emails to the Drafts folder then update them with their responses.   The FBI / CIA are already aware of it but it's a pretty slick move. 

Originally posted by fat_taddler

I've thought about this too, seems like an easy way to communicate off the grid per se. 

I've heard that Al Qaeda uses web mail but never sends it, they simply share the email account and save emails to the Drafts folder then update them with their responses.   The FBI / CIA are already aware of it but it's a pretty slick move. 

I think it's funny that I'm told to put my tin-foil hat on, because god knows stranger things have never been done by spies..

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/02/nations-spies-w/

FBI looking for terrorist in world of warcraft....

Am I that crazy?

Hmmm I would think there would be better ways, such as burrner cell phones,   communicating text via in game is going to be picked up a lot easier for the fbi/cia types as it is text, and trust me these guys monitor stuff like that.  

I would think they would want something to where the could incrypt their comunications vi satilite phone, burrner cell phones, and short wave raidio.   

Originally posted by erictlewis

Hmmm I would think there would be better ways, such as burrner cell phones,   communicating text via in game is going to be picked up a lot easier for the fbi/cia types as it is text, and trust me these guys monitor stuff like that.  

I would think they would want something to where the could incrypt their comunications vi satilite phone, burrner cell phones, and short wave raidio.   

I'm thinking more along the lines of communication with hard to reach sources...people that the spy has turned that may be in hard to contact places, where it's not really feasible to give them a bunch of equipment...but logging into an MMO would not be seens as suspicious..

Originally posted by WHYSOMAD

Originally posted by crysent

Originally posted by fat_taddler

I've thought about this too, seems like an easy way to communicate off the grid per se. 

I've heard that Al Qaeda uses web mail but never sends it, they simply share the email account and save emails to the Drafts folder then update them with their responses.   The FBI / CIA are already aware of it but it's a pretty slick move. 

I think it's funny that I'm told to put my tin-foil hat on, because god knows stranger things have never been done by spies..

 

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/02/nations-spies-w/

 

FBI looking for terrorist in world of warcraft....

 

Am I that crazy?

  Don't believe everything you read kids, prime example.

Right - because it's completely absurd to think the U.S. government would look at MMO's as a possible recruitment tool of extreme fundamentalist.  Very absurd..I see your point..

Spies do communicate through MMOs.  I spy on people in MMOs all the time, and sometimes communicate with them as well.

I'm spying on all of you right now...

Originally posted by maskedweasel

Spies do communicate through MMOs.  I spy on people in MMOs all the time, and sometimes communicate with them as well.

 

I'm spying on all of you right now...

You must be that odd Charr that's been following my Asura around all morning...

Originally posted by crysent

Originally posted by nariusseldon
Why do they need to do that? There are easier ways. Just use yahoo mail and put encription/code on it. Why add one more layer of information?

Mainly because Yahoo, and lots of other big companies work in tandom with the U.S. government?  I dunno, I figured it would be preferable not to use a western owned company...since they can be indicted for information.

 

Also in some Eastern countries access to western owned search engines/services is limited.  However MMO access seems a lot easier to get (think China...)

But there are many companies providing email, not just the big ones. And so what if they work with US government? It is not like the US government cannot ask Blizz to hand over their MMO data.

Plus, it is a needle in the hay stack problem. Even if yahoo agree to work with the US government, do you know how many accounts they have? And you can make one on the fly MUCH easier than making a MMO account.

Originally posted by ShakyMo
Do ref beat me to it.

"never mind brother crow, you are in heaven now with 40 crow virgins"

Top film

Rubber dinghy rapids!!!!!

Originally posted by crysent

Right - because it's completely absurd to think the U.S. government would look at MMO's as a possible recruitment tool of extreme fundamentalist.  Very absurd..I see your point..

Yeah, because America doesn't have another agency that's specifically dedicated to cyberspying, right?

Unless the FBI have reason to believe an individual or group is recruiting through World of Warcraft (or any other MMO), they are not likely to "man the phones". More likely is that the NSA are using their fancy algorithms to automatically screen and stored data for profiling, because that's precisely what the NSA is there to do.

Originally posted by nariusseldon

But there are many companies providing email, not just the big ones. And so what if they work with US government? It is not like the US government cannot ask Blizz to hand over their MMO data.

Plus, it is a needle in the hay stack problem. Even if yahoo agree to work with the US government, do you know how many accounts they have? And you can make one on the fly MUCH easier than making a MMO account.

If the US Government wanted that data, and it was deemed a matter of nation security, they would ask the NSA to get it. They would not ask Blizzard to hand it over.

Shawn Smith tried to get a message to his cohearts at Langley before he was killed in Libya through Eve. The Goonies got quite for abit also.