Based on new information disclosed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, a joint report by The New York Times, ProPublica and The Guardian alleges that U.S. and British spies have conducted surveillance and gathered data in online games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life.
Spy activity in the games was said to be so intense, in fact, that a "deconfliction" group had to be assembled so that spies from the CIA, FBI, and Pentagon would avoid running into each other.
The 82-page document suggests that government agencies have long been concerned that terrorists or criminal groups could use virtual worlds to "hide in plain sight" and possibly use the in-game chat functionality in online games to communicate, send funds, and plot attacks. However, the report notes, the intelligence agencies did not appear to catch any criminal activity in the process.
World of Warcraft is most commonly cited in the report, which alleges that the GCHQ, the British equivalent of the NSA, extracted information from the massive online game in an attempt to tie accounts to Islamic extremist and suspected arms dealers. Officials also kept tabs on Xbox Live, but it's unclear exactly how far that surveillance reached and how the agencies got access to the information.
Microsoft and Linden Labs, makers of Second Life, declined to comment for the story, but a rep at Warcraft maker Blizzard said: "We are unaware of any surveillance taking place. If it was, it would have been done without our knowledge or permission."
According to the documents supplied by Snowden, officials began exploring the online gaming world as a possible terrorist communications channel back in 2007. The report notes that the Pentagon has long been attracted to online games as a means to collect information about users, going so far as to commission the creation of new games with the intent of gathering intelligence. While some monitoring was already being done, the NSA allegedly decided to step things up.
One NSA document quoted in the story notes that certain persons of interest appeared to play World of Warcraft, though it couldn't be determined if that was strictly for fun or tied to any criminal activity. According to the report, the monitoring "continues to uncover potential Sigint value by identifying accounts, characters and guilds related to Islamic extremist groups, nuclear proliferation and arms dealing."
Neither the NSA nor the government communications headquarters would confirm or deny the report to ProPublica.
Tiny Toy Gun Owned By .... A Sock Monkey ?
Well,there 'moneky buisness' is real.As Seattle’s King 5 News reports, Redmond, WA resident Phyllis May was going through security at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, en route to a plane flight back home, when she was stopped by a TSA Agent because a gun was found among her bags.
Technically speaking, that's accurate. Not technically speaking, the “gun” was about two inches long, made of plastic, and was being worn in a holster by a sock monkey named Rooster Monkburn. (Yes, that’s a takeoff on the grizzled hero of the Western novel “True Grit” and its film adaptations.)
May, as it happens, runs a small business selling such sock dolls, though that was lost on the TSA Agent, who insisted on confiscating the tiny gun and told May she was supposed to call the police.
Her reply will echo through the ages:
"She said 'this is a gun,'" said May. "I said no, it's not a gun, it's a prop for my monkey."
Undeterred, the TSA agent fired back, but May refused to cave:
“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” said May.
Eventually, the TSA Agent took the gun but let May keep Rooster Monkburn. She also wisely decided not to involve the cops.
To her credit, May showed great poise in the face of this ridiculous monkey business.
“Rooster Monkburn has been disarmed so I’m sure everyone on the plane was safe,” she said. “I understand she was doing her job but at some point doesn’t common sense prevail?”
First Chewbacca, and now sock monkeys? Beware, furry friends -- TSA is watching.
A Touching Letter To Santa
Gone are the days when a simple box of paints or school book was all you wished for on Christmas.
But for 7-year-old Homer Mellen in 1915, those very basic items, along with a handful of other equally unassuming gifts, were all the boy from London, Ontario, had hoped to receive from Santa.
"It says so much about the lack of appreciation for those things that truly are a special gift," Homer's son, Larry Mellen, 79, told GoodMorningAmerica.com of his father's modest Christmas wish list compared to those of children today. "We just take it for granted that you're going to have that stuff at Christmas time, or any other time for that matter."
"Dear Santa Claus," the boy begins in cursive handwriting. "Will you please send me a box of paints, also a nine cent reader, and a school bag to put them in."
He modestly continues, "And if you have any nuts, or candy, or toys to spare, would you kindly send me some." If so, Homer concludes, "You will please a seven year old boy."
The Mellen family kept and cherished this note for 98 years in a little box con
taining "private little things like locks of hair, or the first picture that was taken," Mellen explained, in order to "put away for memories for grandchildren."
taining "private little things like locks of hair, or the first picture that was taken," Mellen explained, in order to "put away for memories for grandchildren."
And that's exactly what Homer's humble wish list had done, as his granddaughter, Laurie Bloomfield, 49, of Nova Scotia, shared it with us after reading a recent story about one little girl's extravagant expectations from Santa this year.
"I'm a teacher, so as teacher I get to hear a lot of kids' wishes," Bloomfield said. "What I find with this generation is they want to talk a lot, they want to put out a lot of information. They have lots to say and want to tell it all."
That certainly seems true with the little girl's list that ended up going wildly viral last week with one of the 17 items on the list being "A little thing that can turn into anything at anytime," which her father was quick to point out was impossible, flatly responding, "You cannot have this."
The little girl also asked for "1,000 bucks," to which her dad quipped , "This is Christmas, not an Italian wedding."
"We just take for granted that whatever we want out there we can have, and that isn't the case," said Mellen. "When my father was young, to put your stocking up with care and knowing that you were going to get maybe an orange, that was the magic of Christmas."
Mellen believes his father did indeed receive the reader, which was a book required for school, because otherwise he "no doubt would have been borrowing somebody else's," and also the candies and Christmas nuts "he would have gotten as a special treat."
Why Candy Crush Too Popular For Good ?
Candy Crush Saga is probably the world’s most addictive video game but shares in its publisher, King, don’t seem to hold the same attraction for investors.
After reportedly filing for an initial public offering in the United States valuing the company at $5 billion, King is now said to be delaying the deal amid concerns its big hit will end up being its only hit.
There’s no debating Candy Crush Saga is an insane money machine. The game, played mostly on mobile phones, has been downloaded more than 500 million times, counts 282 million active players per month and takes in an estimated $901,505 per day.
Burned too many times
But the problem for investors is fairly straightforward. They have been burned too many times by one hit wonders and may be skeptical that Candy Crush Saga will remain a font of endless money long enough to support the company’s desired $5 billion value. Some psychologists and gaming experts say Candy Crush will burn out sooner rather than later, as the game relies in part on frustrating players into paying for new levels.
The most obvious parallel is Zynga (ZNGA), which went public at $11 a share in December 2011. But a series of disappointments and missteps pummeled the shares, which now trade at about $4, off 64% from the IPO. In the end, far too much of the Zynga’s success relied on Facebook (FB) users managing their virtual herds on FarmVille. When Facebook changed its rules, Zynga was sunk.
“Right now investors view King as a one-product company,” says Dan Miller-Smith, CEO of Syndicate Pro, which tracks the IPO market. "The Candy Crush series has been so successful that investors must question whether it is repeatable."
King declined to comment.
In several ways, the company appears to have a far stronger business model than Zynga, especially since it's not dependent on one big company to distribute its apps.
But the line of burnout, one-hit wonder companies stretches as far as the eye can see, from the Groupon (GRPN) discount coupon to Crocs (CROX) oddly colorful clogs to the amazing boom of bagel shop IPOs in the 1990s. Not helping matters, most video game publishers have struggled to show consistent growth lately as well.
Some have staying power
But there also plenty of hit-making shops that have proved they have staying power, such as filmmaker Pixar, now part of Walt Disney (DIS), or Steve Jobs's other baby, Apple (AAPL).
So King has a fairly simple path to prove it’s not going to crater as soon as its candy crushing hoards move on – publish a few more hits with the same stratospheric growth in players and easy money.
King's Papa Pear
So King has a fairly simple path to prove it’s not going to crater as soon as its candy crushing hoards move on – publish a few more hits with the same stratospheric growth in players and easy money.
King's Papa Pear
The company certainly has a system in place to uncover new addictive treasures. King offers dozens of games for free play on its website. Games that prove popular on the Web get bumped up to social networks such as Facebook. And the winners there get rolled as full-fledged mobile apps.
“All games have a natural lifespan. It’s been extremely fun to see how long it has gone on,” King game designer Tommy Palm told Venturebeat recently. “Casual games have great lifespans; we have a never-ending energy in coming up with new boosters and new levels.”
Already, a couple of new King offerings, Papa Pear and Farm King, look like strong contenders. Tired of smashing annoying candies? Then switch to bouncing fruits, nuts and chili peppers. If enough people do this, they could be unlocking a lot more than another game level for King.
Football Player Suspended Because Of Snowball Fight
University of Oregon students could face criminal charges over a snowball fight that got out of control last week.
Part of the fight was captured on video and posted to the Web. There, it quickly went viral, racking up millions of views.
In the video, a large number of students toss snowballs at each other, clearly having a good time. Things take a turn for the unruly when a driver attempts to maneuver a car down the street where the students are gathered.
Rather than let the vehicle, reportedly driven by former professor Sherwin Simmons, pass by, the students pelted it repeatedly. In addition, one student threw a large bucket of snow on the car. When the professor got out of the car, he was pelted some more, and not in a "isn't this fun" kind of way.
According to KOMOnews.com, a spokesperson for the university Police Department said that a sergeant believes the students may have committed criminal offenses like disorderly conduct and harassment.
Oregon Ducks football coach Mark Helfrich said that he is conducting an investigation into whether his players participated.
Honour Student Shot By Campus Cop
A 23-year-old honor student is dead after he was fatally shot by a campus police officer during a traffic stop in San Antonio, Texas, police said.
University of the Incarnate Word student Robert Cameron Redus was pulled over by Cpl. Christopher Carter at 2:30 a.m. Friday near the campus for driving "erratically at a high rate of speed," police said. Then, according to police, "a struggle ensued between the suspect driver and the police officer." The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Tree House Apartments, which is adjacent to the campus.
Redus was shot multiple times during the struggle and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
"There was boom, boom, boom, boom, boom -- six shots," a witness, who asked to not be identified, told ABC News affiliate KSAT-TV.
Authorities say it's unclear why the struggle ensued and why Redus was shot multiple times. The University confirmed that Carter is on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues, which is standard procedure for police agencies in Texas. Carter "has an extensive law-enforcement background" and has been with the school for "several years," the university said in a statement.
ABC News was unable to reach Carter for comment. Police didn't provide additonal details of the incident.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the student and officer involved in this incident," said UIW President Dr. Lou Agnese in the release.
Redus' family said in a statement, "We are understandably devastated by the death of our dear son Cameron and we ask for your prayers as we deal with our tragic loss."
Redus' friends are still in shock and gathered at the campus Saturday to remember him at a vigil.
"He's not an aggressive person at all, so the story just doesn't really make sense to any of us," student Sarah Davis told KSAT.
Others remembered Redus as a kind, well-liked student within the university community.
"Cameron was the sweetest, kindest, gentlest person," Redus' friend Annie Jones said. "So compassionate."
The incident is being investigated by the Alamo Heights Police Department with the assistance of the Texas Rangers.
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