Final week, the information concerning the leaks of extraordinarily delicate and confidential US army paperwork via a Discord server surfaced. The truth that the paperwork contained info associated to the continuing Ukraine invasion, together with different army issues, made the investigation across the leak of utmost significance. Since then, the perpetrator, who has been recognized as a 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, has been arrested by the FBI.
Now one is perhaps discovering it tough to wrap their heads round how such confidential paperwork may discover their means out into the world via a gaming server. Teixeira reportedly served on the Intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air Nationwide Guard. He oversaw a Discord group named Thug Shaker Central the place he initially shared the paperwork.
Discord group engaged in “racist on-line memes”
The primary and most blatant query can be why Teixeira shared the paperwork. Investigation revealed that some off-the-topic argument over the Ukraine-Russia conflict promoted the perpetrator to share the paperwork in a gaggle that has nothing to do with conflict, the army, or governments.
Investigative journalism group Bellingcat revealed that the leaker had posted footage of the paperwork to show some extent about Ukraine conflict being ‘actual’. Teixeira wrote “Right here, have some leaked paperwork”, earlier than posting the images. This motion is extraordinarily silly at finest, and a federal crime at worst, as now proved by the arrest.
Digging deeper into the psyche of the individual in query, The New York Occasions reported that the Discord group Thug Shaker Central consisted of “about 20 to 30 individuals, largely younger males and youngsters”. The report outlined that this groun “got here collectively over a shared love of weapons, racist on-line memes and video video games.”
Toxicity in gaming sadly a relentless
The point out of “racist on-line memes” brings us to the problem of racism, which is rampant throughout the gaming neighborhood. Racism within the type of such sharing of memes, to discriminate is amongst one of many methods to make the neighborhood poisonous. And talking of toxicity throughout the gaming neighborhood, how can one not point out the quite a few complains that got here out proper after this 12 months’s Sport Builders Convention (GDC). From spiking drinks, to unbridled misogyny, all of it occurred at GDC 2023, as claimed by a number of girls on-line.
Giants among the many Gaming trade try to counter such toxicity with initiatives that promote inclusivity. Microsoft Xbox has been celebrating the Black Historical past Month and the Indigenous Folks of the World for a couple of years now. Along with Microsoft, a number of gaming corporations have been celebrating The Satisfaction month with giveaways, and promotions by queer builders. These corporations and platforms have additionally recurrently celebrated Worldwide Working Womens’ Day together with initiatives that promote feminine illustration within the sport improvement, gaming and esports trade.
However then once more, we’ve got components just like the members of the group Thug Shaker Central, who usually are not solely enablers, but additionally lively contributors on this toxicity with their “memes”. To not point out, the inherent want of placing individuals down, that Teixeira tried so arduous to counter together with his actions that now finally discover him in jail.
