Someone Used Sony’s PlayStation Network To Sell Drugs

Thanks to online communities and online store fronts that anyone can create without much oversight, it seems that some of these services are being abused. In a report from Motherboard, it appears that Sony’s PlayStation Network was recently abused, where it was discovered that someone had used the online gaming service to sell drugs.

The report cites an FBI warrant that was applied for back in October, where it compelled Sony to hand over information on a PS4 user who was apparently part of a cocaine distribution network. The warrant asked for information such as what games the alleged drug dealer played and even his progress in them.

The warrant was applied following a tip-off to the FBI by one of their informants. The FBI also later managed to nab their suspect following a sting operation, where they managed to purchase 100 grams of cocaine off the seller while communicating with them over both audio chat and Sony’s built-in messaging service on the PSN.

Sony has yet to respond or comment on the issue, but to be fair, it would be a bit hard for Sony to monitor all of its users without violating their privacy. Also, it’s not like it’s a very common problem either, but it does go to show some of the creative ways that criminals are using seemingly innocuous services to hawk illegal products.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gaming, General
Tags: Legal, PlayStation, psn, Sony