LONDON — American and British intelligence operations have been spying on gamers across the world, media outlets reported, saying that the world’s most powerful espionage agencies sent undercover agents into virtual universes to monitor activity in online fantasy games such as “World of Warcraft.”
Stories carried Monday by The New York Times, the Guardian, and ProPublica said U.S. and British spies have spent years trawling online games for terrorists or informants. The stories are based on documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
At its height, “World of Warcraft” boasted some 12 million paying subscribers, more than the population of Greece. Other virtual worlds, like Linden Labs’ “Second Life” or the various games hosted by Microsoft’s Xbox — home to the popular science fiction-themed shoot-em-up “Halo” — host millions more.
Spy agencies have long worried that such games serve as a good cover for terrorists who could use in-game messaging systems to swap information.
A 82-page-document, published on The New York Times’ website, also noted that opponents could use video games to recruit other users or carry out virtual weapons training — pointing to the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers as examples of terrorists who had used flight simulation software to hone their skills.
