The PSN, among other online services provided by the major consoles and game developers, is a powerful tool for connecting players and bringing users together. One user, however, seems to have been connecting with others for nefarious purposes and his actions have caught the attention of the FBI.
A warrant was issued on October 22nd for the surrender of private information of a user who is suspected to have been using the PSN to coordinate the sale of thousands of dollars worth of drugs. According to witness reports, Curtis Alexander, who goes by the screenname "Speedola20", used the instant messenger app available on PS4 in order to contact potential buyers.
At the time of the warrant being issued, the FBI claimed that they have witness testimony and evidence from a Confidential Human Source (CHS) stating that Speedola20 was attempting to sell large quantities of cocaine, for up to $34,000 per kilogram. According to transcripts, Speedola20 facilitated a deal for 100 grams of the aforementioned products for $4,400 with CHS. This deal is reported to have been made through both the instant message system as well as through private chats discussed while playing an unidentified game over the PSN.
The warrant specifically asks Sony for the user's private information, including his IP address, physical address, and a list of known games played over the PSN. According to the FBI's request, this is all in an attempt to find the suspect and apprehend him before he can continue his illegal business or evade arrest. This is not the first time that the FBI has sent these warrants to Sony, or been involved with gaming services to attempt to protect players.
While what Speedola20 has been doing with his internet access is to be strictly abhorred, the request that the FBI has sent to Sony does once again raise flags about privacy versus security. For one, if Sony does hold all of this information on their players, that could open up the possibilities of what it could mean for compiling data and selling to advertisers, which Sony claims not to use the information for. On the other hand, if the FBI is able to request that type of information, then where does the line get drawn in the name of law enforcement and national security.
At the moment, however, the FBI doesn't seem to have ill intent with the current warrant, limiting the request to information on one specific suspect that already has an amount of evidence against him. So, while this request may lead to a Pandora's box in the future, there doesn't seem to be much reason to fear for any loss of security from the average user.