The government can start tracking your Xbox Live activity, and it doesn’t even to pass a new law to do so.
The act of eavesdropping on your online gaming account is being compared to tracking e-mails and telephone calls, which federal agencies already have the authority to do.
It points to an increasing importance in all digital communications. The fact is that people engaged in serious federal crimes are becoming smart enough to avoid using easily trackable means of communication.
In addition, for some crimes, like pedophilia, the gaming community might be a more prime environment to entice victims and perpetrate crimes.
No one is saying that terrorists are logging onto Call of Duty online to plot their next attack on US soil, but it is an undeniable fact that platforms like Xbox Live have a very well-constructed means of communication.
According to a report on Gamasutra.com, the Homeland Security agency, as well as the United States Navy, have established a way to gain access to private activity and conversations through online game networks with the help of cyber forensics company Obscure Technologies.
Of course, the murky area here is the law. Privacy is always a touchy subject, so the privacy advocates out there will be very troubled by this news.
Nevertheless, the government has been getting a wider and wider net to cast on individuals if they’re believed to be connected to a high-scale crime.
