DHS and FBI to start monitoring online gamers for terrorism?

[Resnic]

DHS and FBI Target Gamers in Misguided Fight Against Terrorism

The report from the Government Accountability Office reveals the DHS intelligence office meets with gaming firms like Roblox, Discord, Reddit and others.

fandompulse.com

"Through its nationwide field offices, the FBI receives tips from these companies about gamers’ lawful online speech and views deemed “extremist” for further investigation."

So what exactly do they deem extremist? That can be anything they don't like really. I don't think they will try and differentiate the difference between what would be considered terrorists and people using lawful free speech. Given our current administration anyone they deem super ultra mega maga would be considered a extremist.


"Compounding this issue, large gaming corporations are increasingly embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that can be used as a pretext to censor unpopular views under the guise of combating “extremism.” The end result is a dangerous convergence of government overreach and corporate censorship that threatens to strangle the free expression and privacy of gamers and online communities."

A lot of game developers are now shoving DEI down people's throats and as we see the government siding more and more with the DEI nonsense I can see them seeing them and labeling them as extremists.

This whole program sounds like a massive waste of tax payer money and resources. If this was Argentina I'd dare say it would have been something their president would have gleefully axed right off the bat when he cut all of the other fat off.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

A lot of game developers are now shoving DEI down people's throats

Can you give some examples?

 

[ReinyDays]

I don't think it's lawful to actively discuss plans for murdering a school yard full of 8-year-old children this morning ... just saying ... wouldn't a reasonably prudent person see this as "imminent lawless activities" ...

 

[Harpy Eagle]

This is also nothing new.

E-Recruits: How Gaming is Helping Terrorist Groups Radicalize and Recruit a Generation of Online Gamers | Concentric

E-Recruits: How Gaming is Helping Terrorist Groups Radicalize and Recruit a Generation of Online Gamers %

www.concentric.io

In 2013, documents leaked by National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden revealed that both the NSA and the Britain’s General Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), were tracking Islamic extremists using video games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. In 2016, officials in the United Arab Emirates claimed that young Emiratis were being recruited by ISIS using online games.

There is also proof of this trend on the Deep and Dark Web. As recently as January 2019, Islamic State outlets used Telegram groups to provide supporters with specific instructions for how to use gaming platforms to recruit new members. The use of video games is a sufficiently prominent recruitment strategy that a member of the Islamic State’s deep web forum recently requested that the Flames of War 2 propaganda video be formatted to run on PlayStation Portable devices.