Careful what you say online Big Brother is listening

[CptStern]

..is it the FBI? the Mossad? KGB? KAOS?

no it's Microsoft on xbox live

Teen Arrested for Crazy Talk on Xbox Live

TeamXbox is reporting that a teen who was talking crazy shit on Xbox Live while playing Call of Duty 4 got arrested after they tracked him down with the help of Microsoft:
According to court records, Shaw was playing the game ?Call for Duty 4? in the XBOX Live gaming system with players around the country when he allegedly stated the threat of ?shooting up the school.? The statement reportedly contained a description from Shaw concerning ?how he was going to do it.?

As the university community and the rest of the city pondered the frightening possibility of violence shattering the typical calm of the Mountain City, police working with Microsoft and Xbox Live tracked the Internet provider address to Shaw and his room at Annapolis Hall.

After Shaw was taken into custody, he reportedly told investigators that ?he was joking and had no intention of following through with the threats,? according to the court documents.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/35811/Teen-Arrested-for-Crazy-Talk-on-Xbox-Live

so microsoft plays big brother's thought police ..wonder if their stool pigeon policy is only limited to making threats on xbox live? I mean if I yell "I've got a grenade and I'm not afraid to use it" on xbox live will the federales/the Homerland Security break down my door?


..anyways stupid of him to make threats against his school in light of the perpetual mass shootings in the US

 

[Cormeh]

I know that you can be traced via IP matches and whatnot, but this particular story isn't all that big brother to me.

If this kid was being an idiot on Xbox Live, then someone must have reported his claims to Microsoft in the first place. All it would have taken was his Gamertag to track his subscription to Live anyway.

 

[Gunner]

Wait how does this work, I don't get it. He makes threats on xbox live, someone reports him to the police, which in turn contact Microsoft for help to track him down.

So what evidence do they have against the boy besides the report? cause he could always deny it.

Unless they record all conversations on xbox live D:

 

[CptStern]

witnesses? someone has to file a complaint I guess


there's two levels of big brother-ish behaviour here ..Microsoft tracking the IP/helping police and the ISP giving out information on a client ..in canada the big ISP's have said they wont hand over customer records without a warrent ..not sure how that works in the US


oh and:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20070430.jpg

 

[Raziaar]

Hey, if some kid is speaking about shooting up his school, and I can find some way to intervene, I will do it. Sometimes you don't know when to distinguish from joking and a real threat. The people who do those things often make such comments to others, and those people don't know what to expect until they see the news.

I don't want to be one of those guys thinking, "Oh shit, maybe I could have stopped that."

Obviously it's not a case of reporting everything you hear, since there's a lot of shit out there, but sometimes you get those gut feelings that this guy just isn't joking around.

 

[Lt. Drebin]

I mean if I yell "I've got a grenade and I'm not afraid to use it" on xbox live will the federales/the Homerland Security break down my door?

Doubt it. How is a nondescript comment like that going to land you some hot federal action at your doorstep. Further, that probably would better fit into the context of a game like COD4...I fail to see where a comment like "I'm going to shoot up my school in xxxx tomorrow" does...that SHOULD get you in trouble.

Obvioiusly this moron freaked some people out and was specific enough in his details to sound more than serious. People say stupid things on XBox Live constantly and it never lands them in any kind of trouble. Since he claims he was joking, a simple investigation should prove this.

Further, I guess I'm not seeing the Big Brother activities here. I HIGHLY doubt Microsoft was monitoring his comments. Someone had to report this. Even further, with an incident like this, you'll have NO issues getting a warrant. Presented with said warrant, most companies MUST provide the requested information...it's usually written into the companies policies. I know it is where I work and we have TONS of personal info on clients. We've been involved in investigations and part of our policy is that we cooperate fully. That's not Big Brother, that's avoiding obstruction.

..anyways stupid of him to make threats against his school in light of the perpetual mass shootings in the US

Sure was.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Hey, if some kid is speaking about shooting up his school, and I can find some way to intervene, I will do it. Sometimes you don't know when to distinguish from joking and a real threat. The people who do those things often make such comments to others, and those people don't know what to expect until they see the news.

I don't want to be one of those guys thinking, "Oh shit, maybe I could have stopped that."

Obviously it's not a case of reporting everything you hear, since there's a lot of shit out there, but sometimes you get those gut feelings that this guy just isn't joking around.

I agree. I would have reported this kid if he was a stranger. You can never tell. I don't want guilt for the rest of my life.

 

[Eejit]

Anyone reported Darkside to the police yet?

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

I did, but my phones credit ran out before I could explain. Stupid international calls.

 

[VirusType2]

Well, threatening or intimidating someone is considered Assault in the US.

Trust me, I've been arrested for it before.

You have to watch what you say when other people can hear you, no matter where you are or what you are doing. It's a free country, but making threats is imposing on other's freedoms, and that is illegal.

And making idle threats of school bombing.. well, that is just asking for trouble. And sounds like he got what he was asking for.

 

[Krynn72]

..anyways stupid of him to make threats against his school in light of the perpetual mass shootings in the US

Still, not being able to joke around in a video game chat, even if it is distasteful is bullshit

 

[Saturos]

Still, not being able to joke around in a video game chat, even if it is distasteful is bullshit

Not nescessarily. You can't say, "I have a bomb" on an airplane either. It's just common sense, which seems to be something that guy was totally lacking. He deserves to be billy-clubed for being stupid. As effective as law enforcement tries to be, nobody has pre-cognitive abilities, so they have to assume anybody who says such things have the worst intentions. If he didn't mean it, "THEN HE SHOULDN'T SAY IT". I could call you an idiot and say that I was just joking, but chances are, you would be offended reguardless of my distasteful humor. Besides, it's only natural that most people don't have that kind of sadistic humor after so many recent shootings have been going on, so when they hear someone say something like that, it's likely to make anyone feel uneasy reguardless.

 

[Jintor]

I agree. "Fire" in a crowded theatre and all that.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

don't **** with M$

 

[TechnoHippyChic]

...Homerland Security

 

[Seppo]

At least this will probably make ****ing idiots like this dude think twice before trying to be funny on the internet. Threats like that are a serious issue and not funny at all.

 

[K e r b e r o s]

so microsoft plays big brother's thought police ..wonder if their stool pigeon policy is only limited to making threats on xbox live? I mean if I yell "I've got a grenade and I'm not afraid to use it" on xbox live will the federales/the Homerland Security break down my door?


..anyways stupid of him to make threats against his school in light of the perpetual mass shootings in the US

Glad they arrested him. Keep it up XBox Live!

Still, not being able to joke around in a video game chat, even if it is distasteful is bullshit

Whats so cool about shooting up you're school?

Jesus, people clearly think that they've taken the, "Red Pill" on this issue but they never can explain why.

 

[nurizeko]

I am making a dirty bomb in my basement.

 

[K e r b e r o s]

Aw, how special you are!

 

[Operational]

I am making a dirty bomb in my basement.

I called teh police. I expect Munro will be handing over your IP address any minute now.

 

[K e r b e r o s]

I called teh GSG9 and de srceemin jerman kid!!11

Case and point people -- school shootings are increasing in frequency; at least the paranoia's doing society some form of service.

 

[CptStern]

I called teh GSG9 and de srceemin jerman kid!!11

Case and point people -- school shootings are increasing in frequency; at least the paranoia's doing society some form of service.

agreed: lining the pockets of gun manufacturers and giving credence to right wing paranoia that fuels things like anti-video games hysteria