Terrorism is horrible because it is so unclear. The perpetrators can come from anywhere, from any background, and commit such a range of horrors that it’s no wonder that people are terrified and feeling unsafe. The recent Paris attacks reminded everyone yet again that any city, any person could be a victim at any time, and it’s a pretty vulnerable feeling to experience. As a result, many resort to violence and assigning blame. But in a rush to do that in the mainstream media, we saw some pretty poor media reporting lead to potentially unjustified accusations against gamers and the PlayStation Network.
In a contributor article on Forbes, it was written that that Paris attackers were linked to the possession of at least one PS4, and that it was known that ISIS could use the console for terrorist communication:
The hunt for those responsible (eight terrorists were killed Saturday night, but accomplices may still be at large) led to a number of raids in nearby Brussels. Evidence reportedly turned up included at least one PlayStation 4 console.
Belgian federal home affairs minister Jan Jambon said outright that the PS4 is used by ISIS agents to communicate, and was selected due to the fact that it’s notoriously hard to monitor. “PlayStation 4 is even more difficult to keep track of than WhatsApp,” he said.
First of all, the statement that a PS4 was found in a raid was actually a complete fabrication and the original article amended. Second, while yes, Jambon did make those comments, he actually did so as part of a Politico debate wherein he was discussing Belgium’s security weaknesses three days before the Paris attacks.
The detection and prevention of the Verviers plot was proof that Belgian counterterrorism is improving. But it’s hard to counter the skilled online recruitment of ISIL, whom Jambon said sends 100,000 Twitter messages a day to potential recruits. Another avenue for recruitment is Playstation 4, whose users can connect in ways that are hard for authorities to detect. Jambon said Playstation 4 is even more difficult to monitor than WhatsApp and other applications.
So yes, PlayStation 4 consoles could be used as a means of communication between terrorists in much the same way that any other platform such as Twitter of WhatsApp could be used. That’s not how it was presented in the media, though, with a range of sensationalist articles going live over the weekend and early part of this week claiming that the PSN was used to coordinate the attacks. This prompted Sony to release a rather mundane but necessary statement:
PlayStation 4 allows for communication amongst friends and fellow gamers, in common with all modern connected devices. We take our responsibilities to protect our users extremely seriously, and we urge our users and partners to report activities that may be offensive, suspicious, or illegal. When we identify or are notified of such conduct, we are committed to taking appropriate actions in conjunction with the appropriate authorities.
I would have liked a more passionate response from Sony, but I suppose it’s best to keep it as simple as possible. This could have happened on any connected platform – there were even some truly bizarre articles published in the flurry of “gamers as terrorists” media that went live in the past few days that said terrorists could use mock levels in Mario Maker to plan potential attacks. Unfortunately, it’s a sign of a lack of understanding of communication technology, as well as a wave of fear and paranoia that spreads in the wake of such attacks. People are looking for answers, and the PSN was an easy target. But no, as far as the evidence shows thus far, the PSN was not used to coordinate the Paris attacks, so let’s stop pointing fingers there.
Last Updated: January 4, 2017
Kromas untamed
November 17, 2015 at 08:37
Consoles are the best terrorist equipment out there.
Everyone switch to PC! They are never used for anything bad. 😛
Pieter Kruger
November 17, 2015 at 08:40
Why would terrorists pick one of the most unreliable networks to communicate on? a Pigeon with a piece of paper strapped to its foot is more reliable…….????????????
Mossel
November 17, 2015 at 08:40
The ping is horrible though
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 17, 2015 at 08:49
Because obviously they wouldn’t use the One with the spycam. 😀
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 08:50
huehuehuehuehuehue
Pieter Kruger
November 17, 2015 at 08:51
So you’re saying they didn’t buy the Eyetoy?
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 17, 2015 at 08:52
Nobody did, that’s why MS wanted to make Kinect mandatory.
RinceThis
November 17, 2015 at 10:17
Double BURN FATALITY!
RinceThis
November 17, 2015 at 10:17
HAHAHAHAHA!
HvR
November 17, 2015 at 09:49
Because not even ISIS can afford all the microtransactions on the Xbone.
40 Insane Frogs
November 17, 2015 at 12:43
Because they use the xbones for their bombs. Even Isis knows that the PS4 is glorious and should not be used as explosives. The Xbone on the other hand.. meh!
Pieter Kruger
November 17, 2015 at 08:44
ROFL, let’s hope Anonymous doesn’t hear about this….some PSN downtime coming in….????
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 08:50
Yes because Sony clearly supports ISIS
Pieter Kruger
November 17, 2015 at 08:54
It’s Anonymous, better back up those PSN based saved files!????
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 08:56
I bet Anonymous reads articles before commenting
Pieter Kruger
November 17, 2015 at 08:58
Backup done….?
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 09:01
Nope, don’t need to
Pieter Kruger
November 17, 2015 at 09:03
Now? Done? It’ll be quick, PSN only allows for some 10MB of online storage anyways……????
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 09:36
hahaha, they increased it to 10GB. But that’ too much seeing how the PS4 doesn’t have any games
HvR
November 17, 2015 at 09:47
Because not even ISIS can afford all the microtransactions on the Xbone
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 17, 2015 at 08:52
Everyone knows the real terrorist communication tool is WoW.
This is one of the things I like least about modern journalism trends – the rush to be first. Accuracy comes later.
BakedBagel
November 17, 2015 at 13:57
heh and those “studies” that get reported on with a sample size of 4 people :p
Dawid Eduard Roestorf
November 17, 2015 at 08:55
Why would they choose the ps4 and not the X1?
Because almost nobody in Europe plays the X1 :p
40 Insane Frogs
November 17, 2015 at 12:44
Wow! Now that’s a brutal burn!
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 08:59
This
https://youtu.be/hgKqa8u4uJQ?t=34m13s
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 08:59
LOL the thumbnail is besides the point
Hammersteyn
November 17, 2015 at 09:00
First 30 seconds, this played out better in my head 😐
AfricanTime
November 17, 2015 at 09:09
ok, but the question is , if the terrorists are all dead or caught now, who gets to keep the PS4?
lorddevonshire
November 17, 2015 at 09:34
I’ll be happy to take it.
Generic ZA
November 17, 2015 at 15:38
Sorry but it get stored in the “evidence” locker (nudge, nudge, wink, wink):P
AfricanTime
November 17, 2015 at 09:11
if ISIS used the PS Move, do we call them terrowrists? ha ha no
Pieter Kruger
November 17, 2015 at 09:20
I’ll just leave this here…
Sageville
November 17, 2015 at 09:58
??
Nikola
November 17, 2015 at 09:27
Absolutely ridiculous claim, what’s next PS4 makes people into terrorists…
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
November 17, 2015 at 10:08
So it’s the spoons fault that someone gouged another’s eye out? It’s ridiculous really, people jump to conclusions way before all of the facts have been analysed. Terrorism is a plague, driven by a belief of extremist purity, similar to Nazism, having read stories of men sacrificing themselves to save the lives of others by tackling suicide bombers, has left me speechless, my heart bleeds for the families that have suffered losses and to everyone that were exposed to these atrocities.
RinceThis
November 17, 2015 at 10:19
Oh internet, you so silly.
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 17, 2015 at 10:29
YOU’RE the internet!
Brandon van Reenen
November 17, 2015 at 10:30
You need to update the application before the attacks.
Update?
40 Insane Frogs
November 17, 2015 at 12:42
Not the first time (nor the last time) that the media uses poorly researched sensationalist junk to sell copies. Just take the case of professional SJW lolcow, Veerender Jubbal. Granted, Vereender is a dick, but he didn’t deserve this, yet it didn’t stop the media from plastering his image on their websites (after the attack on Paris) – in an attempt to tie him to the attacks.
(PS: check out the dildo in the background of the altered image – yes.. it is art!)
https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.11/original/564a2eddc36188537f8b45d9.jpg
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
November 19, 2015 at 08:09
Preach it other me! PREACH IT!