ISIS May Have Used PlayStation 4 to Plot Attacks in Paris

This is really disheartening news...

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Complex Original

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UPDATE 11/17/15:

It has since been discovered that the connection between the terrorist attacks in Paris last week and PlayStation 4 consoles that originally appeared in the Forbes article "How Paris ISIS Terrorists May Have Used PlayStation 4 To Discuss And Plan Attacks" were unsubstantiated. As Kotaku points out, federal home affairs minister Jan Jambon's claim that PlayStation has been used by terror networks was in fact from three days prior to the attacks. Kotaku spoke with the writer of the original story about the error:

“I misread the minister’s statement, because even though he was specifically saying that PS4 was being used by ISIS to communicate, there is no public list of evidence list of what was found in the specific recent raids. I’ve edited the post to reflect that, and it was more meant to be about discussing why or how groups like ISIS can use consoles. It’s my fault, as I misinterpreted his statement.”

However, Kotaku adds that while there's no direct correlation between Friday's attacks and the game console, "Jambon’s comments can’t be dismissed."

All that said, there’s plenty of evidence that terrorists have been taking advantage of online video game services. The Edward Snowden leaks in 2013 revealed that the NSA kept tabs on games like Second Life and World of Warcraft. In May, an Austrian teenager with ties to ISIS was arrested for allegedly using his PlayStation to store bomb plans. 

See original story below.

After Friday's attacks in Paris, which left more than 120 dead and 300 people injured, new questions about surveillance have taken the forefront of the global conversation about how the attacks could have been prevented as well as how we'll address them in the future. France’s intelligence services received scrutiny this week after measures put in place following the Charlie Hebdo attack earlier this year failed to prevent the events on Friday.

Brussels weekly The Bulletin reports that the notoriously difficult to monitor PlayStation 4 may have been a tool used to send and receive information pertaining to Friday's attacks. Speaking at a debate this week organized by Politico, federal home affairs minister Jan Jambon was quoted as saying, "The thing that keeps me awake at night is the guy behind his computer, looking for messages from IS and other hate preachers."

Jambon said that its relative inability to be tracked has made it a preferred resource to terror networks. He added, "PlayStation 4 is even more difficult to keep track of than WhatsApp."

[h/t: International Business Times]

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