Gamers Keep Leaking Classified US Military Intel Online

(ConservativeInsider.org) – Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games are incredibly popular as one player can interact with hundreds or thousands of others while online. Favorite MMOs these days include “World of Warcraft,” “RuneScape,” and “War Thunder.” The latter of these is now facing a bit of controversy as its players have repeatedly leaked military secrets on its online forums.

“War Thunder” players can use their computers, Playstations, or even Xboxes to engage with the battle world, which allows them to virtually operate over 2,000 different military vehicles, aircraft, and tanks in a battle setting. The game boasts 100 different maps, many of which recreate famous war zones from the past decades. Not surprisingly, this game attracts many military personnel and veterans around the world.

According to Popular Mechanics, “War Thunder” user SpaceNavy90 posted information to the game’s forum on January 16 about how the F-16A fighter jet operates and included a screenshot of a document to back up his claims. Even though the user claims to have found the information online, moderators on the site quickly hid the information saying it likely violated federal regulations barring the sharing of military intelligence.

This isn’t the first time they’ve shared classified data to win internet battles. https://t.co/kx9cyK4Gnt

— Popular Mechanics (@PopMech) January 20, 2023

While the US Air Force no longer uses the F16A jet, there are over two dozen other countries using the airplane, according to the Daily Caller. This information about its inner workings could, in theory, compromise the plane if adversaries got their hands on it.

This is not the first time military intelligence has been shared on the game-related forum. In the summer of 2021, a player claiming to be a British tank operator shared intel on the Challenger 2 tank. Later that year, another person posted the LeClerc tank manual. In each of these instances, the users were trying to win an argument and used the info to back up their points.

While it is unclear how these gamers got hold of the manuals in the first place, if this trend continues, it could become a major threat to national security and military intelligence.