Discussions and investigations surrounding the terrorist attacks that took place on Paris, France last week have implicated Sony's PlayStation 4 console as one of the tools used by the extremists to coordinate the mass murders.
Although it is still yet to be confirmed if the gaming console was really used by the terrorists to communicate with one another, Sony has issued a statement regarding the allegations.
Days before the attack on Paris occurred, Jan Jambon, Belgium's Minister of Security and Home Affairs discussed how new technological devices and application are being used by extremist groups to recruit members and coordinate their movements.
One of the devices mentioned by the government official is the PlayStation 4. Jambon said that authorities are actually having a hard time monitoring the activities that take place in the console's social and online communication features.
"The thing that keeps me awake at night is the guy behind his computer, looking for messages from IS and other hate preachers," he said according to Eurogamer. "PlayStation 4 is even more difficult to keep track of than WhatsApp."
Jambon then went on to say that even international security agencies are also facing problems decrypting messages transmitted using the PlayStation 4.
In response, Sony admitted that the features of its console can be abused and even used for illegal purposes. But, the company assured the public and authorities that it is doing what it can to prevent this from happening.
"PlayStation 4 allows for communication amongst friends and fellow gamers and, in common with all modern connected devices, this has the potential to be abused,'" Sony said according to Cinemablend. "However, we take our responsibilities to protect our users extremely seriously and we urge our users and partners to report activities that may be offensive, suspicious or illegal."
"When we identify or are notified of such conduct, we are committed to taking appropriate actions in conjunction with the appropriate authorities and will continue to do so," the company added.
Reports about the use of the PlayStation 4 in planning the Paris terrorist attacks intensified after the investigation regarding the suspects reached Belgium, according to The Telegraph. In one of the raids conducted by the law enforcers, they found a PlayStation 4 console in one of the suspect's home. However, it is not yet clear if the device was really used by the attackers.
For now, there is still no solid evidence connecting Sony's PlayStation 4 with the plans regarding the Paris attacks.
