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FBI Seeks Suspect's Web Game Records
wiredmikey writes "The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday asked the administrator of an Internet game to hand over records of communications by Jared Loughner, following a Wall Street Journal article describing disturbing messages the accused shooter wrote over a three-month period last year. In an interview, David McVittie, the administrator of the Web game Earth Empires, said he was contacted by the FBI, which requested the files, including 131 messages that Mr. Loughner wrote."
The going after twitter messages looks kind of dubious, but this request has more grounding - it would be very easy for someone to use any online RPG to use as a conduit for messages if they thought someone might be monitoring email or phone. Given that the U.S. is treating him as a criminal suspect (which I'll leave the validity of to the side), this request seems pretty reasonable to build a case against someone.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Why exactly is this news or a surprise? Will everyone be shocked because they request credit card, banking and cell phone information too?
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
This is just another example of our fascist dictatorial government shitting on free speech.
Obviously, they have plenty of probable cause connecting him to an actually serious crime, and they probably obtained a warrant in this case to get these records. While Loughner may not have left explicit notes along the lines of "I'm going to shoot people", it would definitely be relevant for the purpose of establishing his mental state.
Not every search-and-seizure is objectionable, you know. Sometimes, the government is actually doing its job properly.
But why?
I mean, how does this help?
Oh no. An agency authorized by the people to keep them safe has used the system we created to keep the people safe. Will there be no end to this tyranny?
Tiger Blooded Bi-Winning Machine
Hey, I have no doubt Loughner said some creepy stuff on some online games. I have $10 that says none of it was half as bad as the shit that I hear Halo-playing 12 year olds say on XBox Live at night though.
Motorcycles, Robots, Space Gossip and More!
for case. This is what they are supposed to be doing.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
It is rather pointless to get this information and perhaps dangerous. Things said in-game could be construed by others to mean things other than what they intended. While undoubtedly Loughtner is guilty, it sets a disturbing precedent where people will be judged out of context for what they said. I mean, whats next? Arresting someone because they said in the middle of a Call of Duty game that they were going to shoot someone (referring to the game)?
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
every time someone in the government so much as sneezes, you are supposed to read their actions as the continual destruction of our rights and the inevitable vise-like tightening towards the establishment of worldwide freedom crushing fascism
not, you know, meat and potatoes law enforcement
so shame on you. where is your requisite dose of paranoid schizophrenia when making comments on a comment board? i have never been so outraged at such a reasonable and even tempered post in a long time
now get back to your keyboard and find something to whine about hysterically!
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
They want to see if he's insane or not. Given the amount of crazy this guy has displayed, it is possible he's actually legally insane. Part of determining that will be looking in to the communications he's made. That's going to include things in games, as well as e-mail and so on. The more information the better.
it was computer games that caused this!!!
I KNEW IT!!
Then turn off the computer.
For example, I think you're a shit eating fuckface. Don't like that? Turn off your computer. Pussy.
No, this isn't "Dangerous", it's part of the give and take of a criminal trial, and requesting this information was a perfectly proper thing to do. Just like you can use phone recordings, e-mail messages, letters, conversations, etc.... why should there be special status for his online message transcripts?
Yes, things can be taken out of context. And that is an argument the defense can make, should the prosecution choose to use this evidence in the trial. The mere possibility of the evidence being mis-interpreted is no reason for the evidence never to be collected.
SirWired
for reasons of insanity:
"I couldn't stop hearing Palin's voice in my ear telling me to shoot them all!"
It would be, actually, so easy for terrorists to communicate on games like Counter Strike.
According with several FPS game logs, we have a lot of mass murderers around. They even found there who sniped the player Jfk
Pro-pot or anti-pot, atheist or believer, the actions of Loughner reflect only on Loughner.
This tarring of everyone with continent-wide brushes is bullshit from ALL sides.
And anyone who engages in it goes right into my "part of the problem" bucket.
Pretty much nails it.
Yeah I don't think the shooter fits in directly with any major ideology. That said Mother Jones has two very interesting articles on the language he uses and reports from friends close to him. They mention the "sovereign citizen" movement as a possible influence. I don't know what the truth is but I know that most communist are not real big fans of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/sovereign-citizens-jared-lee-loughner
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/jared-lee-loughner-friend-voicemail-phone-message
Peace my brothers & sisters,
End15
All glory to the Hypnotoad!
Well said. Wish I had mod points for you.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
ya,right.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
You should really think about what you just posted there and then consider whether the rest of your comment should even be admitted into a conversation about civil rights, etc.
Mad as in "insane" or as "angry"? Probably both!
Seeing as every gun rampage of the last 3 decades has been (I think quite successfully) linked directly to the perpetrator playing Metroid or listening to Alice Cooper, I think it's satisfying that yet another case has been wrapped up quite so quickly; clearly tick-based browser strategy game "Earth Empires" is the corrupting force behind this travesty.
I hope it, and all games like it, are quickly brought to justice. For the sake of the children, you understand.
Just adding, your right "chance" Even Face to face, is suspect. Infrared and basic audio eavesdropping come to mind. Thus, it maybe argued that silence is safe, not so. Consider, the advances in neuroimaging. All we can hope for, is to STOP paying the high-cost of insecurity.
At the same time, truly consider the risk and probabiliities of imagined and very real risk escalation.
I do not use ATM's in the middle of the night, associate with violent game players - with the mostly disenchanted fantasies of same.
Don't know the answer, but hold on to your own and protect your liberties. I hate looking over my shoulder, and object to anyone looking over mine as well.
Too bad, we will always be faced with others that choose not to live a non-destructive. just and un-imposing life.
Adults, kids stealing consoles, kids killing parents over video game play etc. Children fighting over yug0gi0oh cards etc.
We are going backwards.
The guy killed a bunch of people including a 9YO child in front of hundreds of witnesses, and some of you can still get outraged that somebody wants to find out what he had to say on a GAME FORUM? Sheesh!
I'm an administrator for earth empires, though I'm not the one mentioned by name in the summary. I'm posting AC for obvious reasons.
The FBI only wanted information from an alliance hosting site related to the game. I believe an appropriate equivalent would be a WoW guild setting up a forum to discuss strategy, organize raids, and things like that. Information was obtained from the forum, but not from the game itself.
The alliance hosting site in question happens to be run by one of the game's administrators. Providing information to the FBI did not violate the site's privacy policy in this case because the site's community manager had already leaked information to the WSJ. Even if we had wished to fight the subpoena, we do not have the legal resources to do so.
I hope that this provides a little more context and clarifies the situation.
Do these people here on Slashdot realize that by blaming the GOP, they sound just like the idiots that blame violent video games for violence?
Well spoken. However, I am not sure that it is the same thing to compare populist propaganda designed to incite hate and fear with simulations of violence. The former is certainly trying to influence and alter behavior, while the latter is just trying to provide escapist entertainment.
While I would not be surprised to find out that a unstable individual was incited to violence by extremist propaganda, I think the prudent thing to do would be simply wait and let the investigation proceed and see if the source of this insanity can be uncovered before we start flinging blame about. I
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
we have Tea Party, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Drowning Pool and Video Games to blame for his actions... can't we just blame him?
Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
Here's the only response I'd like from the server company, hosting company or networking company.
Mr FBI,
I'm happy to work to provide the data within a reasonable time after the court order is provided AND my legal council has validated it AND the FBI has agreed to pay costs associated with retrieval of the specific required data.
Thanks.
- Website, Server and Network Owner
---
At the same time, I'd expect an email AND phone call to the person for who the data was being requested.
There's a wonderful thing about living in the USA. We have laws which should treat everyone equally (in theory) and the government needs to play by those rules too.
Yeah, I can't see any harm in investigating this guy, given that he was seen by so many witnesses and is pretty obviously guilty. Why would anyone complain?
Given what he did, I don't have any problem with them looking through all of his stuff. I doubt they'll find anything interesting, the guy is obviously nuts, but there's no way to be sure about all that without checking to see.
An insanity defense has nothing to do with whether it was pre-planned or not.
Insanity is about whether the defendant knew what he was doing was wrong. Not whether or not it was planned.
From US Code Tile 18 > Part 1 > Chapter 1
17. Insanity defense
(a) Affirmative Defense.-- It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under any Federal statute that, at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the offense, the defendant, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his acts. Mental disease or defect does not otherwise constitute a defense.
(b) Burden of Proof.-- The defendant has the burden of proving the defense of insanity by clear and convincing evidence. Insanity defense
The problem here, of course, is that any sort of reasonably clear-headed research, planning or rehearsal of a murder will strongly suggest that you understood perfectly well where you were headed and why you wanted to go there.
The one thing you do not want to be caught researching is the insanity defense itself.
Just send this P.O.S. to China. They have a much efficient legal system.
New Economic Perspectives
> Insanity is about whether the defendant knew what he was doing was wrong. Not whether or not it was planned.
Yeah, but they can prove that the person knew it was wrong because of certain actions the killer did beforehand that wouldn't make sense unless they knew it was wrong. How do I know? Dad went nuts and murdered mom. This sort of thing came up at trial and I was deposed concerning it, then later called to the stand during the trial. The insanity defense was tried. It failed. He got life in prison, as well as treatment for schizophrenia.
So... yeah. I have some idea what it's like.
Incidentally, if you know any of these folks, give them space, yes, but... don't be too distant. It's easy to feel (and become) isolated after something horrific like this. That's not healthy.
Actually that guy is not "innocent until convicted" because he was caught red-handed on the spot, while committing the shooting spree. The court still may find him "not guilty due to insanity" although I seem to recall insanity defence is prohibited under federal law and he already appeared at a federal courthouse. I would say Obama is doomed of re-election if the shooter is not executed by ballot time. I do expect speedy trial and execution within one year very much.
I wish the 2nd amendment was given the protection of the 14th amendment, but only in exchange for capital punishment on the book for every firearm homicidor under US jurisdiction (because people who cannot be adequately punished for homicide, should not be allowed to bear and carry devices explicitly designed for homicide).
While your comment was quite interesting to me, just admit that you were waiting for an excuse to use the word "numismatist" weren't you. Kudos on the awesome use of a $0.50 word.
This whole mess with Palin reminds me of that weird thing that happens with a room full of people at a party all having different conversations. Suddenly the room goes silent except for one person who is in the middle of saying something that is loud and also socially inept. Everyone else in the room hears it.... In this case what distracted the party was 31 gunshots.