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31 Ariz. J. Int'l & Comp. L. 875 (2014)
Playing in the Dark: How Online Games Provide Shelter for Criminal Organizations in the Surveillance Age

handle is hein.journals/ajicl31 and id is 911 raw text is: 



PLAYING IN THE DARK: HOW ONLINE GAMES PROVIDE SHELTER
   FOR CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SURVEILLANCE AGE

                            Matthew S. Ruskin*

                            TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. IN TRO D UCT IO N  .................................................................................................. 875

II. L EGA L  O V ERV IEW   ........................................................................................... 878
   A. New Problems Created by Gaming Communication ................................. 878
   B . Law Enforcem ent's  Response  .................................................................... 881
      1. U nited  S tates  ........................................................................................... 8 8 1
      2. Surveillance  A broad  ............................................................................... 882
   C . R elevant  C oncerns ...................................................................................... 888
      1. P riv acy  .................................................................................................... 8 8 8
      2 .  Innov atio n  ............................................................................................... 89 0
      3 .  F ree  S peech  ............................................................................................ 892
      4. C ost and  E ffectiveness  ........................................................................... 895

III.  A N A LY SIS  ....................................................................................................... 89 7
   A. The Usefulness of Uniform International Guidelines ................................ 897
   B. International Treaties and Intelligence-sharing .......................................... 898
   C. Expansion of Domestic Surveillance Capabilities ..................................... 901
   D. The Usefulness of Monitoring and Moderation by Game Creators ........... 904

IV . C O NC LUSIO N  .................................................................................................. 906


                           I. INTRODUCTION

        The 2010 dark comedy Four Lions follows an inept British terrorist
cell determined to conduct an attack that will echo through the ages.' Hijinks
follow. Among the hilariously misguided techniques the gang of terrorists uses to
subvert various anti-terrorist intelligence agencies is its use of a fictional
children's online game called Puffin Party.2       There, members of the gang use
their puffin avatars to communicate with each other while presumably out of law
enforcement's earshot.3 In one scene, Omar, the smartest of the group, reports a

        J.D. Candidate, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, Class of
2015; Senior Managing Editor at the Arizona Journal of International & Comparative Law.
Special thanks to everyone who helped throughout the process of preparing this Note, to the
Journal, to my family, and to my fiancee, Heidi Nielson.
    I   FOUR LIONS (Film4 Productions 2010).
    2   Id.
    3   Id.

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