U.S. government looking to track suspects via game consoles

In an effort to establish new channels for monitoring suspicious activity, the U.S. Navy and the Department of Homeland Security have contracted forensics company Obscure Technologies to research methods for tracking data on today's home consoles, reports Threat Post. This research will enable the government to monitor network activity and extract disk images, flash memory dumps, and configuration settings, all of which could help investigators gather evidence on suspected criminals. Government Computer News reports that by compiling and monitoring this data, the government specifically plans to target pedophiles and terrorists, both of which allegedly use game consoles to find victims or plan illegal activity. As Obscure Technologies researches its methods of data-extraction, it plans to only test consoles purchased overseas in an effort to stay clear of domestic privacy issues, reports Foreign Policy. If Obscure's research is put into practice, however, it could enable law enforcement to monitor U.S. game consoles much in the same way that it can monitor email and other online activity, says Foreign Policy. Gamasutra has contacted the ESA for comment, but has not heard back as of press time.