Over the weekend Public Intelligence published an FBI memo in which the agency warns law enforcement officials that gang members under house arrest are using the Playstation Network to communicate with each other, circumventing the traditional communications surveillance measures that have been in place. Well DUH.
New York case information indicates that Bloods gang members in the Bronx, NY are utilizing PlayStation Network (PSN) to communicate each other while on house arrest. Identified Bloods will post their “PSN tag name”, a self-generated ID used to identify individual users, on social networking web-sites and invite others to connect with them using their PlayStation 3 gaming system. These individuals have been observed sharing “tag names” with each other and discussing intentions to communicate through PSN.
The memo then goes on to explain what Playstation and the Playstation Network are.
PSN allows gamers with PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable (PSP) gaming consoles to connect with each other and communicate inside of video games. Gamers can use either a wired router connection, wireless connection, or a modem connection to gain access to the PSN through their gaming system. While inside of a video game, users can communicate via voice, text, or video chat, requiring the purchase of only a head set and/or webcam.
Isn’t it comforting to know that America’s top law enforcement agency appears to be just now learning about this “new” technology. That sound you hear is every Al Qaeda leader facepalming for not having used Playstation as a way to communicate all this time.
(HT: Adrian Chen)