MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

#36300419710 03/05/2008 07:03:11 MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

This article appeared on the Virginmedia news website today..... Remember the time when a persons thoughts were their own? How long before we see the first person sentenced for Thought crimes?

US government to spy on online gamers

The US government is developing methods to find terrorists who use online virtual worlds.

A new project, codenamed Reynard, aims to recognise terrorist behaviour in online worlds like Second Life or World of Warcraft and notify government officials.

Details about the project became public in a report sent to the US Congress by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

The report states: "The cultural and behavioural norms of virtual worlds and gaming are generally unstudied. Therefore, Reynard will seek to identify the emerging social, behavioral and cultural norms in virtual worlds and gaming environments. The project would then apply the lessons learned to determine the feasibility of automatically detecting suspicious behavior and actions in the virtual world."

A senior intelligence officer at the ODNI said Reynard was in its initial stage and it was too soon to say which online worlds it would be studying. He added that any work on it would be for research rather than "operational" purposes

#36300419714 03/05/2008 07:10:30 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Yeah, makes sense, terrorist behavior in MxO... we'd all end up locked up SMILEY

And how can you tell 'Terrorist Activity' in a game?! Let alone a Roleplaying game! Do people occasionally tell of their plots in the middle of Mara C or Stormwind?

Darkhawk's Gallery | Section 9's Past | Metal Gear?! It's already active?!
There can only be room for one Snake, and one Big Boss!

#36300419716 03/05/2008 07:18:14 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

#36300419721 03/05/2008 07:24:28 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

This is absurd.

How long does this doctrine of control and fear in the name of "fighting terrorism" have to go on?! How far does it have to go?!

What I find funny is, we're supposed to be reporting "terrorist" activity on online games to the government, when in "the real world", a guy can go shoot up a Wendy's or a university or a shopping mall before taking his own life, and little is done to stop the problems that exist there.

We're spending all this money to fight non-conformist governments and police the world, looking for Arabic-speaking Muslim people that have a problem with us occupying their homes, when we turn our backs to the disturbed kids that go postal here in ours. -_-

#36300419722 03/05/2008 07:25:22 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

They've got it all wrong, this is a 'murder simulator', not a 'terrorism simulator'!

#36300419723 03/05/2008 07:27:16 MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Tytanya_MxO wrote:

"Therefore, Reynard will seek to identify the emerging social, behavioral and cultural norms in virtual worlds and gaming environments."

I'm not so sure that's a good idea...

'LOL!'

'pwnt'

'NO U'

'Leave Neo alone!'

#36300419724 03/05/2008 07:28:32 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Well...there goes every EPN player taken into the custody of Homeland Security...

*looks around* I've gotta go...

#36300419734 03/05/2008 07:46:59 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Isn't there a faction somewhere called Insurgence?

#36300419735 03/05/2008 07:48:21 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Archangel wrote:

Well...there goes every EPN player taken into the custody of Homeland Security...
*looks around* I've gotta go...

I feel sorry for Kid.

#36300419745 03/05/2008 07:55:11 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Ah excellent, added "security" to our digital prison. So I suppose the next time an EPN operative mentions the word code bomb in area chat, he or she will be flagged in Big Brother's database as a potential terrorist.

They're encroaching on more and more of our freedoms. The internet was built around the ideals of personal expression, independance, the ability to surf unimpeded. If they continue to compromise these simple freedoms, as well as others we might as well have our own little digital Revolution.

This game is based off the world of The Matrix, whose themes represent digital warfare, imprisonment, terrorism of sorts, rising up against the machine. Hell we downright rage against it. I would not be surprised to find us being watched rather closely, and you know what? That's free advertising. SMILEY

#36300419746 03/05/2008 07:56:17 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

*CENSORED*, they're gonna find me.

*slips off Turban and slinks away*

#36300419760 03/05/2008 08:43:10 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

You guys act like MxO would even be on their radar. . .

Seriously though, it doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to see that terrorist cells could be using a game like WoW to communicate and plan stuff.

And I rather doubt the HSD came up with this one on their own. I smell the NSA behind something like this; they're notorious for using techs to run their computer systems that are, or have been, gamers and hackers.

#36300419762 03/05/2008 08:45:54 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Roukan wrote:

*CENSORED*, they're gonna find me.

*slips off Turban and slinks away*

Quick Roukan ! We have to find another way to train !

#36300419769 03/05/2008 08:50:24 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Just to add to help Tytanya to back up this lil topic

Wired News Article

Still its a shame. The American Government is more paranoid than its own people when it is about terrorism. Should it not be the other way around?

#36300419771 03/05/2008 08:52:24 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Ugh as if recruiting wasn't bad enough already. Now you gotta worry about REAL spies as well as RP spies. >.>

Are you a cop? You know you can't lie man you have to tell me if you're a cop!

Waiting for the first <Al Qaeda> MXO faction D: (do it on syntax! SMILEY

)

#36300420417 03/05/2008 21:49:35 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

0uranos wrote:

Roukan wrote:
*CENSORED*, they're gonna find me.

*slips off Turban and slinks away*

Quick Roukan ! We have to find another way to train !

Zomg! There's no where to hide but this hole!

#36300420459 03/05/2008 22:52:51 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Why do Americans passively accept (let's face it, simply protesting won't repeal them among other things) these kinds of surveillance laws (Homegrown Terrorism and Radicalization Prevention Act, Patriot Act, etc.)?

This kind of legislation can effectively be in turn used against the public at large by designating any dissidents "terrorists" or "terrorist sympathizers."

Hopefully they can catch some guilds full of anti-choice abortion clinic bombers out of this.

Anyway, time to get my orange jumpsuit. Maybe they'll let us play MMOs right before our scheduled enhanced interrogations. ^^

#36300420465 03/05/2008 23:11:02 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

You know what will solve ALL of this?

#36300420536 03/06/2008 04:01:43 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

MatrixRefugee wrote:

I don't think MxO would be high on their list, considering it's relative obscurity. I think they're more likely to go after Second Life first -- if that counts as an MMO.

When you think about it, MxO would make perfect sense, its obscure and hard to find. I mean SOE doesn't even know it exists and they own it! SMILEY

Darkhawk's Gallery | Section 9's Past | Metal Gear?! It's already active?!
There can only be room for one Snake, and one Big Boss!

#36300420551 03/06/2008 04:23:13 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Dxy wrote:

Ah excellent, added "security" to our digital prison. So I suppose the next time an EPN operative mentions the word code bomb in area chat, he or she will be flagged in Big Brother's database as a potential terrorist.

They're encroaching on more and more of our freedoms. The internet was built around the ideals of personal expression, independance, the ability to surf unimpeded. If they continue to compromise these simple freedoms, as well as others we might as well have our own little digital Revolution.

This game is based off the world of The Matrix, whose themes represent digital warfare, imprisonment, terrorism of sorts, rising up against the machine. Hell we downright rage against it. I would not be surprised to find us being watched rather closely, and you know what? That's free advertising. " />

Since 9/11 and RIP all that lost their lives then. We have lost pretty much all of our freedoms. You can be a hard working individual that is just supporting his or her family and if some one makes one little call to HLS cause they are pissed at you for some stupid crap. They claim you are a terrorist and the FBI has the right to freeze all you assets and invade your home, detail you til they feel you are a threat and even if you are cleared not to be a terrorist you get that nice smudge on your record forever and guess what aint crap you can do about it. Nothing zip nadda zilch your F'd in the A and left to deal. While your life goes to crap cause of some tarnish record. your job fires you, you're evicted from your place of living, and your stuck flipping burgers for the rest of your life. So how do you feel about your government now.

#36300420556 03/06/2008 04:39:46 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

byond wrote:

Hey Maybe they will find bin laden in WoW or something. :O Maybe hes here in MXO!!

Nonsense. Bin Laden was killed last year in Southeast Asia.

#36300420581 03/06/2008 05:21:45 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

You know, a good while back when I fully embraced the terrorism aspects of EPN's roleplay, I created a signature image and avatar for my forum account that reflected it. Nothing horrible or distasteful in my opinion, just something that referenced the word "Terrorist." I kept that av/sig combo for about a week before Walrus contacted me and politely asked me to remove them, which I did without argument. His position on it was simply that the recent bombings in London (it was around that time) has made it a very touchy topic, and even roleplaying it could be considered offensive or in poor taste.

I got it. No problem.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little annoyed by it, though.

Now, after reading this, I'm a little peeved. I mean, in all seriousness, whether or not the government targets this particular MMO, someone needs to take into account that we're talking about The Matrix. This game was based on a set of movies and short stories in which people are having shoot-outs with security guards and police officers in government installations. We're following a storyline. If we keep going at this rate, in ten to fifteen years the government will be scanning people's thoughts for flagged words like "bomb" or "terrorist" and each time one of those thoughts pops up, even in a roleplaying sense, we'll get 10,000 volts from some satellite somewhere.

Why can't they back off? I mean really.

I understand the need for control of situations that might turn dangerous, but this is way too far.

#36300420587 03/06/2008 05:34:26 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Well I'm waiting for the new study that is examining the most prevelent and insidious form of terrorism out there

"People who rise to positions of power, feather their own nests as best they can, waste public money looking for excuses as to why their own inpetitude isnt their own fault, lie to the people who put them in power to create an environment of terror, and after conclusively proving their failure to adequently lead their own country then send brave and dedicated operatives to their death in the arrogant conciet that somehow they can rule another country better than its own people could!"

I'm sure it will make for a fascinating read!

#36300420610 03/06/2008 06:19:03 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Well the fact of the matter is that this country is in a much worse state than its ever been in.

The implementation of TAKS tests and the No Child Left Behind act have been a futile effort and a waste of money, only leading to further degradation of the public education system. Jobless and homeless rates are accelerating at an alarming rate, with no solution in sight. The country is sinking into another recession, as a result of unnecessary cost of living and inflation. Pharmaceutical companies are inventing illnesses and miracle drugs to combat those illnesses to further-pad their own income, atop the UNREASONABLE $12 a bottle that people are already paying for over the counter children's cough syrup. Gas prices are over $3 a gallon and steadily climbing across the country, and you've got people on the television telling you how horrible the food is that you're eating, and that you need to be paying twice as much to buy their health food to eat right.

The point I'm getting at is that everything's circling the drain, and most people in this country are too blind to see it. The ones who do see it, either don't care, or don't know how to help the situation. I think Maynard said it best in Tool's song Aenima when he said "Learn to Swim."

#36300420615 03/06/2008 06:35:36 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Ok, stop the world, I want to get off!

#36300420636 03/06/2008 07:19:45 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Dxy wrote:

You know what will solve ALL of this?

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<./img>

#36300420842 03/06/2008 12:57:24 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

So just how long has this country been circling the drain?

Racism, although still at unacceptable levels, is not nearly the problem it once was. The same can be said about sexism.

Americans are living longer thanks, in part, to the 'greedy private healthcare' system.

Despite the actions of the Liberal Left, most citizens of this country still follow some kind of religion and make most of their decisions based on the morals and ethics thereof.

Although our economy is tightening, people are still spending more frivolously now than they have in the previous five years.

Less Americans are living paycheck to paycheck today than there were ten years ago.

There are less homeless today than there has been since World War II.

Domestic violence is down. Rapes are down. Just about every violent crime you can think of, is down (with the exception of school shootings, unfortunately).

In reality, America is poised on the brink of a reconstruction based on the reorganization of labor and production. Even as they rail on and on about our arrogance and ignorance, the world still watches us to determine the best business practices, production techniques, and labor processes. We still set the standard the world follows.

There is talk of China replacing America in the next 50 years as the super-country. This may happen. But do not count our ingenuity, pride, and sheer determination out just yet. If anyone can come back from a glancing blow, America can.

But not if the federal government continues on its path. Universal Healthcare, while a noble sentiment, will also be accompanied with the biggest tax bill this country has ever seen. Who is that going to hit the hardest? Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? Doubtful, they're both millionaires already and can afford expensive tax attorneys to shield their money. The federal government's 2009 fiscal budget for operations is $2650000000. Yes, thats 2.65billion. How much more do we need to pay for?

54% of that budget is going to be spent on the military. You know why? Because there are cowardly little bastard terrorists out there that are jealous of the wealth and well-being of this country. If and when China takes our place at the top, they'll be the ones targeted by these little cowards. So I say if the government wants to monitor online video games looking for these cowards, then they have my blessing. Because it is better to be prepared than dead.

Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled America-bashing.

#36300420862 03/06/2008 13:17:22 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Death to AmeriKKKa!

#36300420880 03/06/2008 13:49:43 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

Van3ssa wrote:

Death to AmeriKKKa!

This is not constructive my socialist friend. =p

#36300421014 03/06/2008 17:40:02 Re:MMO's: That well know terrorist training ground

ShiXinFeng wrote:

So just how long has this country been circling the drain?
Racism, although still at unacceptable levels, is not nearly the problem it once was. The same can be said about sexism.
Americans are living longer thanks, in part, to the 'greedy private healthcare' system.
Despite the actions of the Liberal Left, most citizens of this country still follow some kind of religion and make most of their decisions based on the morals and ethics thereof.
Although our economy is tightening, people are still spending more frivolously now than they have in the previous five years.
Less Americans are living paycheck to paycheck today than there were ten years ago.
There are less homeless today than there has been since World War II.
Domestic violence is down. Rapes are down. Just about every violent crime you can think of, is down (with the exception of school shootings, unfortunately).
In reality, America is poised on the brink of a reconstruction based on the reorganization of labor and production. Even as they rail on and on about our arrogance and ignorance, the world still watches us to determine the best business practices, production techniques, and labor processes. We still set the standard the world follows.
There is talk of China replacing America in the next 50 years as the super-country. This may happen. But do not count our ingenuity, pride, and sheer determination out just yet. If anyone can come back from a glancing blow, America can.
But not if the federal government continues on its path. Universal Healthcare, while a noble sentiment, will also be accompanied with the biggest tax bill this country has ever seen. Who is that going to hit the hardest? Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? Doubtful, they're both millionaires already and can afford expensive tax attorneys to shield their money. The federal government's 2009 fiscal budget for operations is $2650000000. Yes, thats 2.65billion. How much more do we need to pay for?
54% of that budget is going to be spent on the military. You know why? Because there are cowardly little bastard terrorists out there that are jealous of the wealth and well-being of this country. If and when China takes our place at the top, they'll be the ones targeted by these little cowards. So I say if the government wants to monitor online video games looking for these cowards, then they have my blessing. Because it is better to be prepared than dead.
Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled America-bashing.

I don't want to go tat for tat with you on your points but suffice it to say that the past 26 years of bad economic policy has completely hollowed out our economy. Globalization is nothing more than the outsourcing of labor. Nothing more. Universal healthcare is inevitable eventually no matter who wins the presidency like it or not. The current system in unsustainable and an unhealthy, overburdened-by-healthcare-costs population reduces productivity overall.

If you think talking about progressive change is America-bashing I think you will find yourself in the minority. Nation-states should take care of their own to some extent and to say that that contradicts America's can-do spirit, well I would beg to differ with you.

An unnecessary 3 Trillion dollar war isn't helping, not only that but it diverts resources from other, tried and true methods of terrorism detection and prevention (ie. Port & Border security).

But yes. First we must root out cave-dwellers who for some reason have 1337 PC's with broadband wireless connections in Northwestern Pakistan and enjoy running around Second Life stockpiling cartoon weapons!