Terrorists who took part in the horrific attack in Paris on Nov. 13 may have used the Sony PlayStation 4 to recruit for and plan the attacks because of the idea that the messaging system is "more secure than WhatsApp."
The report suggests that ISIS as a whole may be using the PlayStation 4 system as a way to communicate.
According to the interior minister of Belgium, Jan Jambon, communications between users of a gaming console are almost impossible to monitor, making them ideal for those wanting to plan atrocities.
"The most difficult communication between these terrorists is via PlayStation 4," said Jambon a few days before the Paris attack. "It's very, very difficult for our services — not only Belgian services but international services — to decrypt the communication that is done via PlayStation 4."
When the latest generation of gaming consoles was released, there was concern that the consoles would be too light on privacy, especially when it came to things like the Microsoft Kinect, which could be used to spy on users.
It does, however, remain unclear whether terrorists used the PS4 to communicate in mounting the Paris attack.
There are a few ways that they could have done so. For example, they may have sent messages through the PlayStation Network (PSN) or they may have messaged one another through the messaging system of a specific game.
In fact, documents leaked by Edward Snowden reveal that the FBI and CIA have been able to embed themselves in specific games to intercept terrorist meet-ups in the past.
Smartphone manufacturers have also been criticized for tightening privacy, a setup that some argue makes it easier for criminals to use phones to communicate.
