In an online forum dedicated to the free-to-play, vehicular-based combat game “War Thunder,” players have uploaded classified documents regarding tank models from three different countries – the United Kingdom, China, and France. But experts say that the manuals, two of which were posted last year and one more recently, were of negligible value in terms of intelligence for foreign militaries.
The incidents were first reported on by the UK Defence Journal, which said that one of the documents was a manual for a British Challenger 2 tank, which the poster had intended for developers to use to make the in-game version more realistic. Another user, who claimed to be from a French tank unit, had uploaded instructions for the usage of the Leclerc S2 in the midst of an argument over the tank’s turret speed. The motivations for the distribution of classified information regarding China’s DTC10-125 tank, however, were unclear.
Despite this, experts agree that although the information contained in these manuals is classified, they are of minimal use to hostile nations.
“Tank manuals will be classified at various levels even though a lot of information in it is not especially sensitive,” said Steven Zaloga, a senior analyst for the Teal Group who has studied the machines for around fifty years. He also noted that in the case of the Challenger and Leclerc tanks, a wide range of people already have access to the data due to the fact that they have been exported to many foreign countries.
In the case of the Chinese tank, the leaked information had already been available online since at least 2018. In addition, the U.S. Army’s TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command) also publishes similar information on the public websites it owns.
Other information can be gained through a variety of sources without ever getting into the realm of classified documents. For example, data regarding a tank’s dispersion, or “an accuracy-related metric that tracks performance under varying environmental conditions,” is often released at arms shows by governments or companies in order to attract potential customers.
In addition, a tank’s turret rotation speed can easily be estimated by watching a YouTube video of it. Zaloga, along with Sonny Butterworth, senior analyst at Janes, a defense intelligence company, agreed that a blueprint, especially one detailing the specific materials and configurations used for armor, would be most valuable to an enemy.
Although a great deal of information has already been released, Anton Yudintsev, the founder of Budapest-based company Gaijin Entertainment, which created “War Thunder” and runs its forum, said that the posts containing classified information had been deleted after “checking with historical consultants to see if the information in question is considered classified.” He also said that governments had never confirmed with his company whether the documents were classified, and that any users who shared that type of information would be banned.
“We explain to the users again and again that it’s pointless to give us any documents that we cannot and won’t use, but we probably can do more to explain this,” he said. “Unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent people from publishing something on the internet. We delete the posts and permanently ban those who break the rules, so our users know that they risk everything essentially for nothing.”
He also expressed his concern over how far users were willing to go in order to win an argument. “We’re happy that even military professionals like what we do,” Yudintsev said. “But breaking the law in order to win an argument online is too much. I’d like to ask all of them: please, never do that!”
Despite having been banned, the users who leaked the information are unlikely to be prosecuted. According to Barbara L. McQuade, a former attorney and professor of law at the University of Michigan, “If you have [classified information] and communicate it, you are in violation of letter of the law.” But she also added that to be prosecuted, one must have harbored “an intent to harm the United States or provide an advantage to a foreign country,” referring to 18 U.S. Code § 794.
Furthermore, online forums such as the one dedicated to “War Thunder” may also be protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants “broad legal protections” to “interactive computer service providers.”
Given this, prosecution for the incident seems unlikely, given its harmless intentions. But the recent events also signal that in the case of a military conflict, classified information, via the internet, could easily be transferred to an adversary with the click of a button.
Original article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/08/05/tank-plan-leaks-war-thunder/
The incidents were first reported on by the UK Defence Journal, which said that one of the documents was a manual for a British Challenger 2 tank, which the poster had intended for developers to use to make the in-game version more realistic. Another user, who claimed to be from a French tank unit, had uploaded instructions for the usage of the Leclerc S2 in the midst of an argument over the tank’s turret speed. The motivations for the distribution of classified information regarding China’s DTC10-125 tank, however, were unclear.
Despite this, experts agree that although the information contained in these manuals is classified, they are of minimal use to hostile nations.
“Tank manuals will be classified at various levels even though a lot of information in it is not especially sensitive,” said Steven Zaloga, a senior analyst for the Teal Group who has studied the machines for around fifty years. He also noted that in the case of the Challenger and Leclerc tanks, a wide range of people already have access to the data due to the fact that they have been exported to many foreign countries.
In the case of the Chinese tank, the leaked information had already been available online since at least 2018. In addition, the U.S. Army’s TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command) also publishes similar information on the public websites it owns.
Other information can be gained through a variety of sources without ever getting into the realm of classified documents. For example, data regarding a tank’s dispersion, or “an accuracy-related metric that tracks performance under varying environmental conditions,” is often released at arms shows by governments or companies in order to attract potential customers.
In addition, a tank’s turret rotation speed can easily be estimated by watching a YouTube video of it. Zaloga, along with Sonny Butterworth, senior analyst at Janes, a defense intelligence company, agreed that a blueprint, especially one detailing the specific materials and configurations used for armor, would be most valuable to an enemy.
Although a great deal of information has already been released, Anton Yudintsev, the founder of Budapest-based company Gaijin Entertainment, which created “War Thunder” and runs its forum, said that the posts containing classified information had been deleted after “checking with historical consultants to see if the information in question is considered classified.” He also said that governments had never confirmed with his company whether the documents were classified, and that any users who shared that type of information would be banned.
“We explain to the users again and again that it’s pointless to give us any documents that we cannot and won’t use, but we probably can do more to explain this,” he said. “Unfortunately there is no way to completely prevent people from publishing something on the internet. We delete the posts and permanently ban those who break the rules, so our users know that they risk everything essentially for nothing.”
He also expressed his concern over how far users were willing to go in order to win an argument. “We’re happy that even military professionals like what we do,” Yudintsev said. “But breaking the law in order to win an argument online is too much. I’d like to ask all of them: please, never do that!”
Despite having been banned, the users who leaked the information are unlikely to be prosecuted. According to Barbara L. McQuade, a former attorney and professor of law at the University of Michigan, “If you have [classified information] and communicate it, you are in violation of letter of the law.” But she also added that to be prosecuted, one must have harbored “an intent to harm the United States or provide an advantage to a foreign country,” referring to 18 U.S. Code § 794.
Furthermore, online forums such as the one dedicated to “War Thunder” may also be protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants “broad legal protections” to “interactive computer service providers.”
Given this, prosecution for the incident seems unlikely, given its harmless intentions. But the recent events also signal that in the case of a military conflict, classified information, via the internet, could easily be transferred to an adversary with the click of a button.
Original article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/08/05/tank-plan-leaks-war-thunder/
