Spies paid to play online games
Tail chases dog! – Shocker!
Not when it involves ‘our’ intelligence and the ‘threat’ that they manifested in the first place ie. Muslim fundamentalist terrorism.
This time, they’re chasing the elusive enemy amongst the dwarfs, elves and gnomes of Gnomeregan on the World of Warcraft gaming platform.
Hide in plain sight?
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In the report, the agency warned of the risk of leaving games communities under-monitored and described them as a “target-rich communications network” where intelligence targets could “hide in plain sight.”
- Real-life agents have been deployed into the World of Warcraft multiplayer online role-playing game and the virtual world of Second Life, in which people interact with each other through avatars.
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Blizzard Entertainment said that they had not given permission to NSA or GCHQ to gather intelligence inside the game, and were “unaware of any surveillance taking place.”
Hide in Plain Sight!
I played Warcraft
I used to play Warcraft.
It’s a ludicrous waste of time. You can spend hours at a time on it. And you’ll need to before anyone will treat you with a modicum of respect.
The idea that people are ‘friendly’ is not the case. If you believe this is true, as our intelligence services did, you’ll pick up a string of 12 year old’s pestering for a ‘boost’ through the Deadmines or some other instance in an attempt to reach the higher levels where the ‘cooler’ players hang out.
It’s an elitist and geeky game.
Top notch players
If you do find a bunch of semi-normal people, they’ll be residing at the TOP of the game. The threshold you’re going to have to pass through is not a small one by any means.
GJ to BLizz for making money on the subs off the UK and US taxpayer for 18 months, never mind the Pizza and 5L bottles of coke they must have got through.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
An utter embarrassment and by no means what grown men who call themselves, ‘intelligence’, ought to be doing? HAHA, or at least paid by the tax-payer ought to be doing HAHAHAHAHAAHA or at least in PAID EMPLOYMENT, PAID BY THE TAXPAYER ought to be paid to be doing. Teeheeheeheeheee
Here’s perhaps a conversation that MIGHT have happened…..
GCHQ Agent – “I’ve got one of those Panda thing, I’m gonna start leveling it! Can ya boost me through the DEADMINES?”
NSA Agent – “Dude, I boosted you through there last week… Wtf are you doing with your chars, Jesus….. L2P, FFS…….. This is the last time…… and if the BOE gloves drop…. they’re mine”.
You’ve got to wonder what these people were THINKING when they were dressing up as Gnomes…
Better join a game that doesn’t involve Dwarves
Were they infiltrating a sub culture, (like in Point Break), if so they should have picked a game like Black Opps.
In this game, players are asked to pick COUNTRIES such as Iran or Saudi and carry out missions against other countries, like the United States.
Anyone that knows the gaming community, knows you’d achieve nothing from putting people in Warcraft. You’ve got to wonder WHO and WHY made the DECISION to put people there in the first place.
link http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nsa-spies-online-games-world-warcraft-second-life