Data Leak Shows National Security Risks of Online Gaming Groups
2023-04-20
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1Experts say online gaming services have long presented national security risks that are difficult for governments to control.
2One such example is the recent release, or leak, of highly secret U.S. military documents shared on the Discord messaging service.
3Discord is known for being a popular place for online video gamers to stay in touch and share ideas.
4U.S. officials have charged a suspect with illegally taking and publishing the documents on Discord.
5The suspect is Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He joined the National Guard in 2019.
6Government documents explaining the charges state that Teixeira served as a computer specialist with the Massachusetts National Guard.
7National Guard forces in the United States usually perform duties for their own state.
8But they can also work together with the U.S. army and serve in federal military operations.
9Teixeira worked in a group that provides intelligence support to many branches of the U.S. military, the charging documents said.
10He had a "top secret" security clearance, meaning he had access to highly sensitive military information.
11The U.S. government accuses Teixeira of sharing highly sensitive, or classified, documents about the Ukraine war and other top national security issues.
12The leak has raised new questions about America's ability to safeguard its classified secrets.
13Some of the leaks are believed to have started on Discord.
14A user group called "Thug Shaker Central" had about 24 individuals who talked about their favorite guns and shared memes and jokes.
15The charging documents said Teixeira started publishing classified information on social media around December 2022.
16The group also included a running discussion on wars, including talk of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
17In that discussion, one user known as "the O.G." often posted material he described as classified.
18Officials say O.G. was the name Teixeira used online.
19Technology experts say online gaming groups have long been a worry of military leaders because of their popularity with young service members.
20U.S. officials have said they are limited in how closely they can follow suspicious activity to make sure published information does not threaten national security.
21"The social media world and gaming sites in particular have been identified as a counterintelligence concern for about a decade," said Dan Meyer.
22He is a partner at the legal firm Tully Rinckey, which specializes in military and security clearance issues.
23The military is involved in the online gaming community.
24Both the Army and Navy say they employ service members whose full-time job is to play in video game competitions as part of military eSports teams.
25The teams are considered an effective tool to possibly reach young gamers.
26A spokeswoman for the U.S. Defense Department, Sue Gough, said its intelligence collection activities are mainly centered internationally.
27In a statement to The Associated Press, Gough said the U.S. military carries out such activities in a way that follows "law and policy and in a manner that protects privacy and civil liberties."
28Because of the difficulties of policing online leaks, the military instead carries out efforts to train service members never to release classified information in the first place.
29Since the latest military information leak, the U.S. Defense Department is studying its processes to protect classified information better.
30Officials say these efforts include reducing the number of people who can see classified material.
31The department is also advising service members with security clearances, or permissions, that they have a lifetime requirement "to safeguard classified information," Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said.
32Those efforts, however, may not be enough.
33Peter W. Singer is the writer of the fictional book Burn In, which imagines attacks on the U.S. planned by users of an online war game.
34Singer has advised U.S. military officials on security matters.
35He told the AP he considers gaming groups as just another form of social networks that carry national security risks.
36He predicted that future spy plans and activities will likely launch from private online worlds.
37Singer said the growing number of social media and messaging services are no longer seen as popular places mainly for young people and online gamers.
38Today, children and adults are using the services for everything from marketing and entertainment to criminality," Singer said.
39He added, "Is this the future? Most definitely."
40I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Experts say online gaming services have long presented national security risks that are difficult for governments to control. 2One such example is the recent release, or leak, of highly secret U.S. military documents shared on the Discord messaging service. Discord is known for being a popular place for online video gamers to stay in touch and share ideas. 3U.S. officials have charged a suspect with illegally taking and publishing the documents on Discord. The suspect is Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He joined the National Guard in 2019. 4Government documents explaining the charges state that Teixeira served as a computer specialist with the Massachusetts National Guard. National Guard forces in the United States usually perform duties for their own state. But they can also work together with the U.S. army and serve in federal military operations. 5Teixeira worked in a group that provides intelligence support to many branches of the U.S. military, the charging documents said. He had a "top secret" security clearance, meaning he had access to highly sensitive military information. 6The U.S. government accuses Teixeira of sharing highly sensitive, or classified, documents about the Ukraine war and other top national security issues. The leak has raised new questions about America's ability to safeguard its classified secrets. 7Some of the leaks are believed to have started on Discord. A user group called "Thug Shaker Central" had about 24 individuals who talked about their favorite guns and shared memes and jokes. The charging documents said Teixeira started publishing classified information on social media around December 2022. 8The group also included a running discussion on wars, including talk of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In that discussion, one user known as "the O.G." often posted material he described as classified. Officials say O.G. was the name Teixeira used online. 9Technology experts say online gaming groups have long been a worry of military leaders because of their popularity with young service members. U.S. officials have said they are limited in how closely they can follow suspicious activity to make sure published information does not threaten national security. 10"The social media world and gaming sites in particular have been identified as a counterintelligence concern for about a decade," said Dan Meyer. He is a partner at the legal firm Tully Rinckey, which specializes in military and security clearance issues. 11The military is involved in the online gaming community. Both the Army and Navy say they employ service members whose full-time job is to play in video game competitions as part of military eSports teams. The teams are considered an effective tool to possibly reach young gamers. 12A spokeswoman for the U.S. Defense Department, Sue Gough, said its intelligence collection activities are mainly centered internationally. In a statement to The Associated Press, Gough said the U.S. military carries out such activities in a way that follows "law and policy and in a manner that protects privacy and civil liberties." 13Because of the difficulties of policing online leaks, the military instead carries out efforts to train service members never to release classified information in the first place. 14Since the latest military information leak, the U.S. Defense Department is studying its processes to protect classified information better. Officials say these efforts include reducing the number of people who can see classified material. 15The department is also advising service members with security clearances, or permissions, that they have a lifetime requirement "to safeguard classified information," Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said. 16Those efforts, however, may not be enough. 17Peter W. Singer is the writer of the fictional book Burn In, which imagines attacks on the U.S. planned by users of an online war game. Singer has advised U.S. military officials on security matters. He told the AP he considers gaming groups as just another form of social networks that carry national security risks. 18He predicted that future spy plans and activities will likely launch from private online worlds. Singer said the growing number of social media and messaging services are no longer seen as popular places mainly for young people and online gamers. 19Today, children and adults are using the services for everything from marketing and entertainment to criminality," Singer said. He added, "Is this the future? Most definitely." 20I'm Bryan Lynn. 21Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press and Reuters. 22_____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24access - n. permission to enter or use something 25meme - n. an idea, image, video, etc. that is spread very quickly on the internet 26decade - n. a period of 10 years 27manner - n. the way in which something is done 28entertainment -n. a feeling of interest that comes from watching performances or playing games 29definite - adj. something that is sure to happen 30________________________________________________________________ 31What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 32Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.