Skip to main content

Xbox Live, ‘World of Warcraft’ targeted by CIA, NSA counterterrorist investigations

World of Warcraft
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Microsoft’s Xbox Live, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, and Linden Labs’ Second Life have all been targeted by American and British counterterrorist units for surveillance, as newly released classified documents from former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden reveal (via ProPublica). The move is a response to concerns that these gaming-centric social networks could serve as gathering places for criminal or terrorist activities.

The surveillance process sees operatives creating accounts and interacting in the various social spaces, with the goal of gathering data, recording communications there, and even recruiting informants. The justification: gamers and militants both use fake identities, voice and text chat, and online storefronts that allow for person-to-personal financial transactions, so there’s a worry that those with ill intent might be taking advantage of those features offered in publicly available gaming services.

Despite the potential for terrorist activity in online gaming, all of this appears to fall into the realm of speculation. Counterterrorism analysts recognize the threat in these virtual spaces, but in reality, there have been no documented successes with ongoing surveillance efforts. What’s more, a collection of people including former American intelligence operatives, gaming company employees, and outside experts all note that there’s little evidence of terrorist organizations using gaming networks to hatch plots.

Ultimately, these surveillance efforts nod back to the ongoing privacy concerns of the average citizen. There’s a line that must be drawn somewhere in any effort to ensure public safety, and the apparent absence of any tangible returns on gaming network surveillance suggests that we’ve strayed too far into the realm of privacy invasion. 

Microsoft declined ProPublica’s request for comment, and Linden Labs didn’t respond to the same request. A Blizzard spokesperson said, “We are unaware of any surveillance taking place. If it was, it would have been done without our knowledge or permission.”

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
World of Warcraft Classic: How to race to level 60 fast
Characters fly on mounts in World of Warcraft Classic.

Playing World of Warcraft Classic can get frustrating if you don't know how to level up to 60. Many twists, turns, and blocks prevent you from getting to the next level because you either lose money or you lose a life. To make your game go a bit easier and get farther along, this guide will help you level up to 60 in no time.

There are two main ways to level quick in WoW Classic: Questing and dungeons. Questing is generally the more fruitful of the two, so that's where we'll start. However, you can also level quickly by farming dungeons with the right loadout.

Read more
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth allied races guide

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth introduced the Allied races into the wildly popular MMORPG. Ten new races were made available for players to explore; five for the Horde and five for the Alliance. No matter where your allegiance lies, these new races are sure to spawn new builds and strategies. Each Allied race also comes with a special set of Transmog armor, new to World of Warcraft, that is interchangeable between classes. Below, we've broken down all 10 Allied races with a little bit of backstory for each, their unlock requirements, and available classes.
See more

How to gear up for your first WoW Classic raid
World of Warcraft Classic: How to race to level 60 fast
World of Warcraft Shadowlands review: Even in death, WoW can't find itself

Read more
World of Warcraft Shadowlands leveling guide: How to hit level 60 fast
World of Warcraft Shadowlands Torghast guide

With the release of the Shadowlands expansion, leveling in World of Warcraft has changed dramatically as one of the best MMORPGs. Character max levels have gone from a whopping high of 120 down to 60, with the 1 to 50 leveling experience outside of the new content being far faster than it once was. Here are all the tips and tricks you need to level a brand-new character from 1 to 50 and, further down, how to level your first, and any subsequent characters, to level 60 quickly in Shadowlands.

See more

Read more