Table of Contents
Recently, classified documents from the Pentagon were leaked online. Intelligence analysts found out that the documents were leaked on Discord, an online chat platform often used by gamers. It seems that the documents were leaked when gamers were arguing about the war in Ukraine in a chat group for the game “Minecraft Earth”.
The documents were also shared in other Discord chat groups. It seems that they first appeared in a group called “Thug Shaker Central” in January this year.
Since then, the documents have been digitally altered. Pro-Russia groups have been sharing different versions of the documents than the Pro-Ukraine groups.
This is not the first time gamers have leaked classified information. The game War Thunder is notorious for leaks related to military equipment. Gamers who have real access to the classified information about the equipment and vehicles share it to win arguments.
The game developers of War Thunder now have policies against sharing classified information on their chat forums. The game developers say that classified information is quickly removed.
Intelligence agencies are watching gaming groups to prevent them from sharing secret information. In recent years, the sharing of classified information to resolve arguments on gaming platforms has become a security risk for many countries.
Vocabulary
- Classified – information that is kept secret and not available to the public; private; top-secret; very important
- The Pentagon – the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense; a building which is the symbol of the US military
- Leak – when secret or private information is released to the public without authorization or permission; to share secret or classified information
- Intelligence analyst – someone who studies and analyzes information to help make decisions, usually for national security or military operations
- Find out – discover; learn; understand
- Platform – an online business that provides a service or connects people and businesses
- Gamer – A person who plays video games
- Argue – to strongly say; to explain; to give reasons; to speak angrily to somebody because you disagree with them
- Appear – to become visible; come into sight; suddenly noticeable; emerge
- Digitally alter – to change or modify something using computer technology, usually refers to editing or changing digital images/documents/videos
- Version – a copy of something that has been changed so it’s a little different; something a little different from others of the same type
- Notorious – famous or well-known for a bad reason or quality
- Military – armed forces; army; agency or department of a government for combat/war
- Access – to be able to use, enter, or get near something; use a service
- Game developer – a person or company that creates video games
- Policy – a set of ideas or plans that is used for making decisions; guidelines; code; rules
- Against – in opposition to something; to fight; to resist; to try to stop
- Chat forum – an online platform or website where people can communicate and share information with each other through text-based messages
- Intelligence agency – an organization that gathers information and does activities related to national security or intelligence gathering for a government.
- Prevent – to stop; to keep from happening; to put an end to
- Resolve – to find a solution or come to a decision about a problem or conflict
- Security risk – something that is a potential threat or danger to the security or safety of a person, organization, or system
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- Should gaming platforms be held responsible for the sharing of classified information among gamers? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, what should happen to people who share classified information in video games or online?
- What measures do you think game developers and/or governments should take to prevent the sharing of classified information in video games? How effective do you think these measures would be?
Original Story
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